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LETTER^ 

. . OF  . . 

A Trip  Abroad 

. . «BY  . . 

W.  d.  T>ONOHUGH 


HKSE  BETTERS  were  published  in  the  Manayunk  Sentinel.  They 
are  most  brief,  no  effort  being  made  to  give  detailed  accounts,  but 
to  be  accurate  in  all  statements.  If  they  have  afforded  my  friends  pleasure 
I shall  be  fully  repaid. 

PHIEADELPHIA,  PA. 

1904 


i 


LETTER  NUMBER  ONE: 


Algiers,  December  22,  1903. 

We  sailed  from  New  York  at  10.30  a.  m.  on 
December  8,  on  the  staunch  Steamer  Aur- 
ania  of  the  Cunard  Dine.  As  the  steamer 
left  the  pier  and  wended  her  way  down  the 
river  we  continued  to  wave  adieus  to  our 
friends  as  long  as  we  could  see  them.  It  was 
a cool,  clear  morning,  yet  the  fog  hung  low, 
obscuring  our  view  of  the  city  and  shores. 

At  12.15  we  passed  Sandy  Hook,  and  soon 
the  shores  of  our  native  land  were  lost  to 
view.  The  pilot  now  left  us,  bearing  our 
latest  messages  to  the  dear  ones  on  shore. 

The  immense  ocean  liner  Kaiser  Wilhelm 
passed  us,  homeward  bound,  her  decks 
loaded  with  passengers  eagerly  looking  for 
the  first  glimpse  of  land. 

Our  steamer  has  accommodations  for  four 
hundred  first  cabin  passengers,  but  we  only 
had  twenty-seven,  which  proved  to  be 
pleasant  for  all  of  us,  as  they  were  nearly 
all  congenial  folk  and  we  enjoyed  each 
other’s  society  during  the  passage. 

Interesting  Italian  Voyagers 

In  the  third  cabin,  or  steerage,  there  were 
over  eleven  hundred  Italians,  apparently  all 
laborers.  I conversed  with  some,  who  had 
been  in  the  States  a number  of  years  and 
were  naturalized  citizens,  of  which  they 
seemed  quite  proud. 

They  were  returning  to  Italy  on  account  of 
the  cold  weather  and  scarcity  of  work  during 
the  winter.  Some  had  wives  and  families, 
and  were  going  home  to  bring  them  to  Amer- 
ica. 

The  Italian  Government  supplies  a Com- 
missioner to  look  after  the  comfort  of  their 
people  on  the  steamer,  coming  and  going. 
They  carefully  inspect  the  quality  and  quan- 
tity of  food. 

They  are  not  allowed  to  eat  at  table.  Their 
food  is  supplied  in  pans,  holding  enough  for 
six  persons.  Each  one  also  receives  a loaf  of 
bread  and  two  half  pints  of  claret  wine  per 
day. 

They  are  debarred  the  privilege  of  sleep- 
ing in  state  rooms.  All  ships  carrying  them 
must  remove  all  partitions,  so  that  the  Com- 
missioner can  have  a full  view  of  them  in 
their  berths. 

These  travelers  do  not  interfere  with  the 
first  cabin  passengers,  as  they  are  confined 
to  the  lower  decks. 

Our  First  Eight  Days  On  the  Sea 

During  the  first  four  days  the  sea  was  fair- 
ly calm  and  few  were  seasick  ; then  came  a 
strong  Northwest  wind,  continuing  for  four 


days,  and  the  sea  was  very  rough.  However, 
as  we  were  going  with  the  wind,  our  steam- 
er rode  the  waves  finely  and  we  made  good 
time. 

On  the  seventh  day  out  the  billows  were 
like  mountains,  but  by  this  time  we  had  got- 
ten so  used  to  the  rough  sea,  that  we  tho- 
roughly enj  oyed  it.  We  had  not  been  seasick, 
“we  had  our  sea  legs  on,”  as  the  sailors  say. 
and  could  walk  the  deck  maintaining  an 
erect  position.  On  the  morning  of  Decem- 
ber 17,  the  ninth  day,  we  dropped  anchor  in 
the  harbor  of  Gibraltar. 

A Drive  Through  Gibraltar 

The  great  rock  fortress  looked  like  a lion 
crouching.  An  old  Moorish  castle,  many 
houses,  and  barracks  for  the  soldiers  are  on 
the  side  of  the  rock,  constituting  a city  of 
considerable  size. 

The  harbor  was  filled  with  steamers  and 
small  boats,  the  whole  presenting  a beautiful 
and  most  picturesque  sight.  A good-sized 
lighter  came  out  to  the  steamer  and  a number 
of  guides  came  on  board,  with  whom  we  ar- 
ranged for  a drive. 

Several  rowboats,  loaded  with  oranges  and 
other  fruits  for  sale,  quickly  surrounded  the 
steamer. 

The  landing  was  thronged  with  a motley 
crowd  of  Arabs  and  Moors  in  native  costume, 
a dirty  yet  picturesque  lot,  with  their  gaudy 
colored  dresses. 

It  looked  odd  to  see  their  heads  and  bodies 
covered  with  heavy  blankets  and  their  legs 
and  feet  bare.  Some  wore  low  sandals. 

This  place  belongs  to  the  English  Govern- 
ment and  is  manned  by  a large  number  of 
troops,  some  of  whom  we  saw  marching  and 
drilling  ; the  infantry  clad  in  red,  with  small 
caps  on  the  sides  of  their  heads  ; the  artil- 
lerymen clad  in  dark  brown.  The  streets 
were  thronged  with  people  of  many  nations. 

Our  drive  through  the  town  was  very  in- 
teresting. We  visited  several  stores  and 
markets.  One  of  the  latter  was  exclusively 
Moorish  ; live  poultry,  eggs,  game  and  bas- 
kets were  the  principal  articles  for  sale. 

At  the  landing  we  loitered  awhile,  watch- 
ing what  was  doing.  The  only  busy  ones 
were  the  venders  of  fruits,  flowers  and  bas- 
kets. 

Thrift  and  Contentment  Illustrated 

Here  was  a new  arrival,  a small  boat  load 
of  Moors  just  over  from  Tangiers,  which 
seemed  to  be  one  family  with  their  effects, 
consisting  of  a roll  of  old  matting  and  two 
small  boxes  of  goods.  It  impressed  us  with 


the  fact  of  how  little  we  can  get  along  with  if 
we  know  how. 

We  returned  to  the  steamer  at  2 p.  m. 
The  captain  was  detained  on  shore  and  there- 
fore we  did  not  get  under  way  until  dark,  a 
fact  that  we  much  regretted,  as  we  very  much 
desired  to  see  the  other  side  of  the  great  rock. 

We  are  now  on  the  Mediterannean  Sea, 
and  while  it  is  often  very  rough,  it  was  at 
this  time  quite  calm  and  we  had  a restful 
night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  i8th  the  mountain- 
ous shores  of  Morocco  came  into  view.  It 
was  a charming  day  and  we  were  happy 
with  the  thought  that  we  would  soon  be  in 
Algiers.  We  were  hoping  that  we  would 
not  land  at  night  as  we  must  do  so  in  small 
row  boats.  At  8 o’clock,  p.  m.  the  lights  in 
the  city  came  into  view  and  at  nine  o’clock 
we  were  off  the  harbor. 

A Brilliant  Night  Spectacle 

What  a brilliantly  lighted  city  it  was. 
We  had  never  beheld  such  a charming 
sight  ; the  lights  were  so  bright,  and  close 
together,  and  seemed  to  cover  almost  the 
entire  three  miles  of  bay  front. 

The  passengers  begged  the  captain  to  re- 
main until  morning  for  them  to  go  ashore. 


but  he  was  anxious  to  get  away  and  refused 
their  request. 

Roman  candle  signals  were  set  off,  which 
was  a call  for  the  pilot.  Soon  he  came  on 
board  and  the  steamer  was  taken  close  to 
the  landing. 

A number  of  small  boats  were  now  ready 
to  take  us  ashore  and  a lot  of  strange- 
looking  dark  men  came  on  board  to  carry 
our  luggage. 

All  was  hurry  and  bustle,  scarcely  time 
being  given  to  say  farewell  to  our  steamer 
friends.  Soon  we  were  in  the  boats  and  being 
rowed  to  the  shore. 

Not  a word  of  the  language  of  our  oarsmen 
could  we  understand,  but  we  had  been  told 
by  Thomas  Cook  & Sons,  agents,  to  place 
ourselves  in  the  hands  of  the  porter  of  the 
hotel  we  were  going  to  and  that  he  would 
pay  the  men  and  attend  to  everything,  so 
that  we  had  no  trouble  at  all. 

The  porter,  a gentlemanly  looking  individ- 
ual, soon  had  our  baggage  passed  by  the  cus- 
toms inspector  ; then  we  got  into  St.  George’s 
Hotel  coach,  and  in  about  forty  minutes 
reached  the  hotel  and  were  soon  settled  in 
our  rooms.  We  expect  to  remain  in  Algiers 
for  some  weeks  and  from  thence  will  go  to 
Naples. 


LETTER  NUMBER  TWO 


Algiers,  January  2,  1904. 

This  ancient  city,  capital  of  Alg-eria,  is  situ- 
ated on  the  Southern  shore  of  the  Mediter- 
annean  Sea,  four  hundred  miles  East  of 
Gibraltar. 

The  bay  of  Algiers  is  wide  and  crescent- 
shaped, encircled  with  a chain  of  hills,  rising 
gradually  to  the  height  of  five  hundred  feet. 
Then  comes  an  extensive  plain,  and  beyond 
that  the  Atlas  Mountains,  some  of  them 
snow-capped. 

The  city  is  built  on  the  Western  shore  of 
the  bay,  giving  it  a Southeastern  exposure. 
Along  the  bay  front  is  a fine  wide  avenue, 
the  Rue  De  la  Republique,  with  modern 
French  buildings  facing  the  bay. 

The  avenue  being  forty  feet  above  sea 
level,  is  reached  by  long  inclined  streets  for 
teams  and  stone  stairways  for  pedestrians. 

Back  of  these  are  a number  of  wide  ave- 
nues, containing  modern  buildings,  used 
mainly  as  stores.  The  sidewalks  are  arcaded, 
protecting  shoppers  from  rain  and  sun. 
Electric  cars  run  in  several  directions,  ex- 
tending into  the  suburbs,  where  are  the 
better  hotels. 

To  the  rear  of  the  modern  French  streets 
and  buildings,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  city, 
is  the  Arab  section,  perhaps  a thousand 
years  old,  a solid  mass  of  stone  structures, 
built  on  the  hillside  one  above  the  other, 
rising  like  steps  for  five  hundred  feet. 

At  the  top  stands  the  palace  of  the  former 
Deys,  and  behind  this,  part  of  the  old  wall 
that  at  one  time  surrounded  the  city. 

A Beautiful  Picture 

South  and  East,  overlooking  the  city  and 
bay,  is  the  suburban  section.  The  hills  are 
covered  with  French  villas,  Moorish  palaces 
and  attractive  hotels,  all  surrounded  with 
groves  of  fine  trees  and  luxuriant  gardens, 
blooming  with  many  varieties  of  flowers, 
also  orange  and  lemon  trees  laden  with  fruit. 

The  harbor  is  protected  from  the  billows 
of  the  boisterous  sea,  by  extensive  stone 
piers,  one  of  which  is  connected  with  the 
land  and  nearly  a mile  long.  From  this  pier 
we  had  a charming  view  of  the  city  and 
suburbs,  of  which  a faint  conception  can  be 
had  from  the  accompanying  illustration. 

The  dazzling  white  houses  of  the  city, 
contrasted  with  the  deep  green  of  the  sur- 
rounding groves,  fully  justify  the  Arabs’ 
comparison  of  the  whole  : ‘ ‘A  diamond  set 
in  an  emerald  frame.” 

We  secured  a fine-looking  Arab  guide, 
who  conducted  us  through  • the  old  Arab 
quarters.  The  streets  are  narrow  and  steep. 


The  longest  has  four  hundred  and  ninety - 
seven  steps,  paved  with  blocks  of  stone,  and 
the  gutters  are  in  the  middle. 

The  streets  are  very  irregular,  and  con- 
fusing to  .strangers.  In  some  places  the 
houses  meet  and  form  arches  overhead. 

We  came  to  one  of  their  ancient  burial 
places,  said  to  contain  the  remains  of  several 
Pashas.  A number  of  tombs  were  inside 
the  buildings.  Some  few  were  quite  elab- 
orate. 

Repulsive  Shops  and  Residences 

In  the  wider  parts  of  the  streets  there 
were  butcher  shops,  groceries,  bakeries  and 
eating  saloons.  In  the  latter  the  natives 
gathered — eating,  smoking  and  gambling. 

These  shops  are  merely  holes  or  depres- 
sions in  the  walls,  only  a few  feet  wide  and 
deep,  with  no  openings  except  in  front. 

The  only  means  of  access  to  the  houses 
here,  is  from  these  narrow  alleys.  Strong- 
looking doors,  and  small  windows  with  iron 
gratings,  give  them  a prison  aspect  and  so 
they  are,  to  the  women,  who  have  few 
privileges. 

Our  guide  said  : “Here  is  my  home  ; I 
will  show  the  ladies  inside,  but  cannot  take 
men.” 

After  some  urging,  the  ladies  accepted, 
but  admitted  later  that  they  were  frightened 
when  the  door  closed  behind  them. 

Some  of  the  Buildings  Described 

The  interior  was  light  and  airy,  a large 
court  yard  admitting  light  from  above.  The 
rooms  were  around  the  outer  sides  of  the 
yard,  living  apartments  on  the  lower  floor 
and  chambers  above,  opening  onto  balconies. 

The  roof  was  paved  with  brick  and 
screened  and  protected  by  side  walls  ex- 
tending above.  Here  the  women  get  air  and 
exercise,  and,  it  is  said,  visit  their  neigh- 
bors. The  view  of  the  harbor  from  this  roof 
was  good,  and  so  from  all  the  roofs,  as  each 
house  is  higher  than  the  one  next  nearer  the 
bay. 

We  visited  the  residence  of  the  Arch- 
bishop, which  was  formerly  a Moorish 
home.  It  was  constructed  similarly  to  the 
one  described,  and  was  very  beautiful. 

The  door  frames  were  all  of  carv'ed  white 
marble  and  numerous  twisted  marble  col- 
umns supported  the  balconies. 

The  floors  and  wainscoting  were  of  fine 
old  tiling,  the  ceilings  carved  and  decorated. 
There  was  also  much  stucco  work,  and 
beautifully  carved  doors. 

We  visited  a large  Mohammedan  mosque. 
The  interior  was  very  plain,  the  only  decora- 


t 


r 


/ 


r 


tions  consisting  of  small  lamps.  There  were 
many  square  columns,  which  were  covered 
three  feet  high  with  straw  matting. 

The  floor  was  carpeted  and  we  were 
obliged  to  put  sandals  over  our  shoes  before 
we  were  permitted  to  walk  upon  the  carpet. 
The  sandals  were  so  large  that  we  had  to 
slip  along,  much  like  skating.  In  a large 
open  space  was  a beautiful  marble  fountain. 

Mohammedans  at  Worship 

While  viewing  this,  we  heard  a deep,  far- 
reaching  voice,  and  looking  up,  saw  at  the 
top  of  the  high  minaret  the  turbaned  head 
of  the  Muezzin,  who  was  calling  the  faithful 
to  prayer. 

They  came  from  the  streets  in  large  num- 
bers, surrounded  the  fountain  and  washed 
faces,  arms,  limbs  and  feet,  and  went  drip- 
ping wet  into  the  mosque  to  pray.  They 
knelt  facing  the  Bast,  looking  towards 
Mecca,  the  birthplace  of  Mohammed. 

They  made  no  distinct  sound,  but  mum- 
bled something,  and  went  through  many 
motions  with  hands  and  arms,  frequently 
bending  over  and  touching  their  foreheads 
on  the  floor. 

After  prayer,  they  wrapped  their  bodies  in 
their  clothing,  curled  up  in  a heap  on  the 
floor  and  went  to  sleep. 

A Peculiar  Parade  and  What  It  Recalled 

The  day  before  Christmas  the  principal 
business  streets  were  crowded  with  Moors 
and  Arabs,  dressed  in  old  Bible,  and  Arabian 
Nights  costumes. 

A number  of  fine-looking  men,  gorgeously 
attired,  came  marching  from  one  of  the 
narrow  streets  of  the  Arab  quarters.  At 
their  head  was  a drummer  and  two  men 
with' iron  clappers  in  their  hands,  making  a 
terrible  clatter. 

Mingling  with  these  strange-looking  peo- 
ple, walking  beside  them  and  hearing  them 
talk  in  their  Arabic  tongue,  recalled  to  our 
minds  the  old  Arabian  Nights  stories,  so 
enchanting,  and  that  wonderful  magic  lamp 
which  brought  all  the  desires  of  its  fortunate 
possessor  by  a single  rub. 

It  is  almost  as  wonderful  what  invention 
and  science  have  accomplished  in  this  age  : 
that  in  a few  days  we  can  be  transported 
from  the  scenes  of  the  New  World  to  this 
old  Arabian  country. 


A Thirty  Days’  Fast 

We  learned  that  the  cause  of  all  this  parad- 
ing and  display  was  in  celebration  of  the 
close  of  the  Ramadan  Fast,  which  had  la.sted 
thirty  days,  during  which  time  the  faithful 
were  prohibited  from  eating  and  drinking 
between  sunrise  and  sunset. 

Many  of  the  men  are  large  and  well-pro- 
portioned and  with  their  heavily  bearded, 
dark  faces,  look  fierce  and  dangerous.  We 
were  reminded  of  their  past  history  and 
shuddered  to  think  of  the  crimes  committed 
by  the  people  of  this  section  during  the  past 
four  hundred  years. 

They  were  the  terror  and  scourge  of 
Christendom  on  the  high  seas,  pirating  ships 
and  all  on  board,  selling  the  men  into  slavery 
and  dooming  the  women  to  lives  of  infamy. 

After  the  fall  of  Granada,  large  numbers 
of  Moors  and  Arabs  emigrated  from  Spain  to 
Algiers  and  became  pirates.  When  piracy 
reached  its  height,  about  the  year  1700,  it  is 
said  there  were  thirty  thousand  captives  in 
this  city,  including  people  of  all  nations  and 
all  positions  in  society. 

A Beneficial  War  of  Conquest 

The  world  is  greatly  indebted  to  France 
for  sending  an  army  in  1830,  capturing  the 
country,  rescuing  all  the  captives,  putting 
an  end  to  piracy  and  opening  this  charming 
land  to  civilization. 

During  the  seventy-four  years  of  French 
occupancy  there  have  been  a number  of  in- 
surrections, and  even  now  a large  number  of 
troops  are  required  to  hold  the  natives  in 
subjection. 

The  gaily  clad  French  soldiers  add  much 
to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  place,  with 
their  many  different  styles  of  dress.  We 
meet  them  everywhere,  on  foot  and  in  the 
saddle.  There  are  many  miles  of  charming 
drives,  all  good  macadamized  roads.  The 
surrounding  country  is  well-cultivated. 

Grapes  are  raised  in  abundance,  from 
which  much  wine  is  made  and  sent  to 
France,  as  are  also  great  quantities  of  vege- 
tables, berries  and  fruits. 

Marseilles  is  just  across  the  Mediterannean, 
four  hundred  miles  distant.  Steamers  ply 
between  that  port  and  Algiers  twice  a week. 

The  temperature  here  ranges  between 
50  and  60  degrees  Fahrenheit,  but  there  is 
much  rain,  and  it  is  evident  that  this  is  not 
a good  time  to  be  in  Algiers,  although  it  is 
warmer  here  than  at  any  other  place  on  the 
Mediterannean, 


^ m ul  l ft. 


LETTER  NUMBER  THREE 


Taormina,  Sicily,  February  6,  1904. 

In  my  last  letter  I spoke  of  going-  to  Biskra, 
but,  owing  to  heavy  snow  on  the  Atlas  Moun- 
tains blocking  the  railroad,  we  were  unable 
to  go,  so  on  January  24  the  Carpathia  having 
arrived,  bound  for  Naples,  we  took  passage. 
The  steamer  remained  in  the  harbor  many 
hours,  allowing  the  passengers  to  go  ashore. 

We  steamed  away  in  the  afternoon.  It 
was  a bright  and  sunny  day  and  the  views  of 
the  city  and  snow-clad  mountains  was  truly 
grand.  The  next  day  was  also  clear,  and  we 
had  a fine  view  of  the  Island  of  Sardinia. 

On  the  morning  of  January  26  we  arrived 
in  the  bay  of  Naples.  The  city,  built  on  a 
hill,  was  very  attractive.  The  two  black 
cones  of 

Vesuvius 

were  in  full  view,  and  from  the  larger  cone 
black  smoke  was  belching  forth.  It  did  not 
look  dangerous,  but  we  shuddered  to  think 
of  its  terrible  history. 

It  is  surprising  to  see  the  number  of  build- 
ings at  the  base  and  on  the  sides  of  the  vol- 
cano, They  may  not,  however,  be  in  as 
much  danger  as  they  appear. 

Numerous  small  boats  surrounded  the 
steamer  and  hotel  porters  came  on  board 
to  take  charge  of  our  trunks.  While  land- 
ing we  were  entertained  by  .some  Italian 
musicians. 

We  dined  at  the  Hotel  Fden,  had  a fine 
drive  through  the  city,  and  in  the  evening 
took  train  for  southern  Italy.  We  had  a 
comfortable  night’s  journey  in  a Pullman 
sleeper. 

A Picturesque  Panorama 

The  moon  shone  with  unusual  brightness, 
affording  glimpses  of  fine  scenery.  We 
reached  Reggio  in  the  morning,  crossed  the 
straits  of  Messina  (six  miles)  in  a small 
steamer,  and  thence  took  train  which  ran 
along  the  Ionian  Sea,  through  groves  of 
orange  and  lemon  trees. 

Quite  near  the  shore  were  high  rocky 
cliffs,  the  sides  terraced  and  every  available 
spot  covered  with  vegetation.  The  groves, 
gardens  and  terraces  were  protected  by 
solid  walls  from  the  torrents  coursing  down 
the  cliffs  during  heavy  rains. 

We  reached  Taormina,  thirty  miles  west 
of  Messina,  before  noon.  The  town  was  in 
full  view,  six  hundred  feet  above  the  sea, 
but  the  winding  drive  up  the  cliff  was  three 
miles  long  over  a well-made,  -wnde  road, 
protected  on  the  outer  side  by  substantial 
masonry.  We  stopped  at  the  San  Domini- 


can Hotel,  an  old  convent  built  in  the  four- 
teenth century. 

Another  Magnificent  View 

It  is  charmingly  located,  overlooking  the 
sea,  has  a well-laid-out  garden,  with  orange, 
lemon  and  almond  trees,  splendid  roses  and 
many  other  blooming  plants,  and  flowering 
vines  trailing  across  and  over  our  windows. 

The  view  from  this  garden  is  most  charm- 
ing. The  sea  with  its  green  and  blue  waters 
is  always  calm,  being  protected  from  the 
winds  by  high  cliffs.  The  air  is  so  perfectly 
clear  that  we  can  see  many  miles. 

Across  the  strait  are  the  snow-clad  hills  of 
Callabria,  To  our  right  a fertile  plane  of 
many  miles  in  extent,  to  the  foot  and  up  the 
sides  of  Mount  Etna. 

This  grand  snow-clad  volcano,  ever  pres- 
ent, is  a magnificent  sight.  It  is  the  highest 
volcano  in  Europe,  covers  four  hundred  and 
sixty  square  miles  and  is  ninety  miles  in 
circumference  at  its  base. 

A Valiant  but  Vicious  Volcano 

It  has  had  many  eruptions  and  in  1693 
A.  D.  partially  destroyed  forty  towns  and 
nearly  one  hundred  thousand  lives. 

This  island  is  full  of  historic  interest.  All 
the  surrounding  nations  coveted  it,  and  have 
occupied  it  at  various  times. 

The  Greeks  under  Theocles  in  735  B.  C. 
landed  at  this  very  spot,  and  founded  the 
Colony  of  Noxos. 

The  walls  and  many  columns  of  a large 
Greek  theatre  stand  on  a hill  seven  hundred 
feet  high. 

We  noted  its  wonderful  accoustic  proper- 
ties ; every  word  spoken  on  the  foundation 
of  the  stage  could  be  distinctly  heard  at  the 
farthest  part  of  the  gallery. 

There  are  also  many  other  Grecian  and 
Roman  buildings  in  the  town  and  the  ruins 
of  many  large  castles  011  the  mountain  tops. 
On  the  main  street  is  a fine  Grecian  fountain 
which  is  the  principal  water  supply  of  the 
community.  This  street  is  about  sixteen 
feet  wide,  paved  with  large  granite  blocks, 
and  has  no  sidewalks. 

Antiquated  Ideas  Prevail 

The  buildings  are  all  of  stone,  one  and  two 
stories  in  height.  Few  of  them  have  any 
openings,  except  the  doors,  and  when  closed 
in  the  evenings  there  are  no  signs  of  life. 

The  people  seem  to  be  industrious  and 
excel  in  knitting  and  embroidering,  but  no 
machinery  of  any  kind  is  used,  and  the  pro- 
duct of  all  their  mechanics  is  of  the  crudest 
kind. 


We  attended  a fair  in  a neighboring  town. 
All  the  wares  for  sale  were  of  the  commonest 
make  ; shoes  rough  and  shapeless,  um- 
brellas of  heavy  drilling,  with  rough  wooden 
handles  and  bamboo  stretchers.  A large 
number  of  poor-looking  cows,  black  pigs, 
goats  and  sheep  were  exhibited. 

Natives  At  a Fair 

The  farmers  and  their  families  were  out  in 
great  numbers,  and  it  was  interesting  to 
watch  them. 

They  were  curiously  dressed.  The  women 
wore  no  hats,  but  fancy  colored  kerchiefs 
over  head  and  shoulders.  They  seemed 
happy  and  good-natured  in  buying  and 
selling.  It  was  amusing  to  see  them  catch 
the  large  hogs,  throw  them  on  their  backs, 
pry  open  their  mouths  with  sticks  and  ex- 
amine their  throats. 

Purchasers  would  at  once  lead  away  their 
stock  ; cows  with  ropes  around  horns,  pigs 
with  ropes  to  hind  legs.  Small  pigs,  goats 
and  lambs  were  carried  in  arms,  or  in  sacks 
on  the  backs  of  donkeys. 

The  roads  in  every  direction  were  alive 
with  people  and  stock  going  from  the  fair. 

At  a railroad  crossing  our  carriage  and  all 


this  concourse  was  stopped.  The  train  was 
due  and  there  was  no  means  of  telling 
when  it  would  come,  so  we  were  held  up 
for  thirty  minutes,  and  everybody  waited 
patiently. 

We  have  been  so  charmed  with  this  old 
town  that  we  have  remained  ten  days.  The 
sun  has  been  shining  nearly  all  the  time, 
the  air  is  pure  and  dry  and  the  temperature 
even. 

Healthful  Mountain  Trips 

We  have  rambled  over  the  rocky  cliffs  on 
foot  and  on  donkeys,  visiting  the  town  of 
Mola,  two  thousand  feet  above  sea  level, 
and  on  another  high  peak  the  ruins  of  an  old 
castle.  Here  we  were  charged  a few  cen- 
times for  admission  and  were  entertained 
with  stringed  music. 

On  another  trip  we  ascended  Monte 
Zerreto,  the  higher  points  on  foot.  We 
were  well  repaid,  the  perfectly  clear  atmos- 
phere enabling  us  to  see  a great  distance. 

The  rides  up  and  down  these  mountains 
were  most  exhilarating,  and  indescribably 
charming  by  reason  of  the  ever-changing 
scenery,  to  which  delights  our  guides  added 
by  singing  Sicilian  airs.  We  leave  to-day 
by  rail  for  Syracuse. 


S J 


f 


LETTER  NUMBER  FOUR 


Tunis,  February  19,  1904. 

We  left  Taormina  February  2 by  train, 
going  over  the  Plain  of  Alcantara,  which  ex- 
tends from  the  sea  up  the  slopes  of  Etna 
many  miles. 

Cicero  in  his  day  referred  to  this  section 
as  the  granary  of  the  island,  and  it  is  so 
considered  even  now.  We  passed  through 
many  populous  towns  that  have  been  fre- 
quently destroyed  and  rebuilt. 

We  stopped  at  Catania,  the  largest  city  in 
Sicily  after  Palermo,  having  fine-looking 
buildings  and  well-paved  streets.  This  city 
also  is  built  on  a lava  bed,  and  has  been  de- 
stroyed several  times.  It  has  a fine  harbor 
and  has  been  closely  identified  with  all  the 
ancient  and  modern  wars. 

Reminders  of  Antiquity 

We  reached  Syracuse  in  the  afternoon  and 
drove  to  the  suburbs,  stopping  at  a pleasant 
little  hotel — the  Villa  Agradina.  Our  object 
in  locating  there  was  to  be  near  the  ruins. 
In  rambling  our  thoughts  went  back  two 
thousand,  five  hundred  years  and  pictured 
the  ancients  in  all  their  glory. 

The  Greek  theatre  is  one  of  the  largest  of  its 
kind,  the  seats  all  hewn  in  the  solid  rock. 
Forty-six  tiers  are  visible,  though  no  walls 
remain. 

Near  by  is  the  Roman  Ampitheatre,  also 
cut  in  the  solid  rock.  Here  are  walls  and 
underground  passages  from  which  are  open- 
ings where  the  lady  or  the  lion  appeared. 
Numerous  blocks  of  marble  from  the  ancient 
parapet  lie  scattered  in  the  arena,  some  with 
inscriptions  on  them. 

Opposite  is  the  entrance  to  the  Eatomia 
del  Paradiso  quarry,  where  the  Athenians 
were  imprisoned. 

At  one  place  there  is  a grotto  hewn  in  the 
rock,  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  S,  which  is 
called  the  Ear  of  Dionysius.  It  is  very  high, 
and  contracted  near  the  top,  where  there  is 
a small  opening  leading  into  a room  in  the 
rock,  in  which,  it  is  said,  Dionysius  listened 
to  the  plotting  of  the  pi'isoners. 

In  this  chamber  we  could  hear  the  slight- 
est noise,  a whisper  or  the  tearing  of  paper 
from  the  deepest  part  of  the  quarry. 

Near  this  is  a street  of  tombs  cut  in  the 
solid  rock. 

One  of  St.  Paul's  Pulpits 

We  visited  an  old  church  near  our  villa 
and  a brown-robed  monk  led  us  down  a 
flight  of  steps  to  the  crypt  of  St.  Marcian. 

In  this  underground  chapel  it  is  claimed 
that  St.  Paul  preached  while  he  tarried  in 
Syracuse  three  days. 


This  opens  into  the  catacombs,  said  to  be 
much  larger  than  those  in  Rome.  They  are 
cut  in  limestone  rock  and  show  thousands 
of  vacant  tombs. 

We  drove  to  the  ruins  of  Fort  Euryelus, 
on  a distant  hill,  from  which  we  obtained  a 
view  of  the  whole  section. 

We  sat  there  and  read  of  the  ancient  bat- 
tles and  pictured  in  our  minds  the  terrible 
conflicts  that  occurred  in  the  harbor  and  on 
the  plains  about  us. 

One  of  our  most  interesting  trips  was  by 
boat  up  the  Anapo  River.  On  both  sides, 
for  many  miles,  rise  large  papyrus  plants, 
said  to  have  been  planted  by  the  Arabs. 
They  constitute  a beautiful  yet  strange  scene, 
almost  tropical  in  character. 

Interesting  Legends 

At  the  head  of  the  river  is  a fine  pool  of 
spring  water  called  the  Fountain  of  Cyane, 
into  which  the  nymph  of  that  name  was 
changed  for  opposing  Pluto. 

We  also  visited  another  mythical  stream 
in  the  city,  near  the  harbor,  called  the  Foun- 
tain of  Arethusa.  The  nymph  Arethusa, 
pursued  hither  by  the  river  god  Alpheus, 
was  changed  by  Diana  into  this  fountain, 
but  we  saw  no  evidence  of  this. 

The  modern  city  is  built  on  the  island  of 
Ortigia  and  connected  with  the  main  land 
by  a bridge.  A strong  sea  wall  surrounds  it 
and  a large  fort  protects  the  entrance  to  the 
harbor. 

We  spent  three  very  pleasant  and  interest- 
ing days  in  Syracuse  and  then  took  steamer 
for  Malta,  arriving  there  at  one  o’clock  on 
the  morning  of  February  10,  the  anniversary 
of  the  arrival  of  the  Apostle  Paul. 

More  Reminders  of  the  Great  Apostle 

We  were  up  early  in  the  morning  and 
drove  eight  miles  to  the  ancient  city  of 
Vecchia.  There  we  saw  in  the  distance  the 
bay  where  the  Apostle  was  wrecked. 

A Cathedral  now  stands  upon  the  site  of 
the  house  of  Publius,  the  Governor  who 
entertained  St.  Paul,  and  we  were  shown  a 
grotto  under  the  rocks  where  it  is  said  he 
abode  for  three  months. 

During  the  afternoon,  the  capital  city 
Valetta  was  filled  with  excitement,  the  peo- 
ple enthusiastically  celebrating  St.  Paul’s 
Day. 

Services  were  held  in  the  church,  which 
was  elaborately  decorated,  and  the  streets 
were  thronged  with  paraders  and  sight-seers. 

The  city  stands  on  a promontory  high 
above  the  sea  and  the  streets  from  the  quay 


are  very  steep  ; many  having  long  flights  of 
steps. 

The  harbors  are  large  and  well-protected 
by  forts,  being  regarded  as  impregnable  as 
Gibraltar. 

The  whole  island,  twenty  miles  long  and 
nine  wide,  is  just  one  great  rock  in  mid- 
ocean, and  occupies  a fine  strategic  position. 

Interesting  Historic  Data 

In  1530  A,  D.  the  island  was  presented  by 
Emperor  Charles  V to  the  Order  of  the 
Knights  of  Malta,  after  they  had  been  ex- 
pelled from  Rhodes, 

History  relates  how  valiantly  they  de- 
fended and  held  it  against  all  the  attacks  of 
the  Turks. 

The  Cathedral  of  San  Giovanni  contains 
numerous  chapels  formerly  used  by  the 
knights,  in  which  are  monuments  of  Grand 


Masters  and  many  relics  of  the  Order, 

The  island  was  captured  in  1800  from  the 
French  by  the  English  and  is  still  held  by 
them.  The  population  is  about  two  hundred 
thousand. 

The  Maltese,  who  have  white  skin,  straight 
hair  and  good  features,  are  quiet  and  peace- 
ful. The  men  dress  like  Europeans.  The 
women,  mostly  clad  in  black,  wear  large 
bonnets,  with  capes  on  them  reaching  to  the 
knees,  making  them  seem  to  be  in  deep 
mourning. 

There  are  but  few  trees  on  the  island  as 
there  is  little  depth  of  soil,  although  the 
oranges  are  exceptionally  fine  and  vegetables 
are  grown  in  great  quantities. 

The  weather  was  clear  and  warm  during 
our  stay.  We  sailed  out  of  the  bay  at  sunset 
on  February  12,  bound  for  Tunis. 


I 


/i 


LETTER  NUMBER  FIVE 


Tunis,  March  2,  1904. 

This  ancient  city,  like  Algiers,  maintains 
its  original  Oriental  character  and  will 
doubtless  long  continue  so  to  do,  as  the 
French  government  which  has  been  in  con- 
trol since  1881  has  made  no  change  within 
the  old  walls  except  to  pave  the  streets. 

The  Modern  Tunis 

The  new  French  city,  with  its  broad 
avenues  and  fine  public  and  private  build- 
ings almost  entirely  surrounds  the  old.  The 
great  charm  of  Tunis,  however,  is  the 
Arabian  section  with  its  narrow  streets  and 
tiny  suks,  and  its  80,000  Arabians  and 
40,000  Jews,  all  dressed  in  the  picturesque 
Eastern  costume  and  talking  the  Arabic 
tongue. 

It  is  impossible  to  convey  a proper  idea 
of  the  charm  and  quaintness  of  these  peo- 
ple. They  are  usually  of  good  form,  fine- 
featured,  with  many  shades  of  skin,  but  no 
evidence  of  any  mixture  with  the  negro.  In 
fact,  there  are  few  negros  here. 

The  streets  and  shops  are  fascinating. 
One  is  impressed  with  the  fact  that  much 
can  be  accomplished  in  a tiny  space,  for  the 
shops,  only  four  feet  square,  contain  both 
workman  and  a full  supply  of  wares.  As  in 
Algiers,  they  have  no  light  nor  air  except 
from  the  front. 

In  the  centre  of  many  are  little  shelves, 
upon  which  the  gaily  clad  Arab  sits  cross- 
legged  and  without  moving  reaches  all  the 
goods  in  his  place.  In  the  large  suks  are 
handsome  rugs  and  rare  old  embroidery  of 
great  value. 

Arabian  Business  Methods 

Naturally  everyone  is  anxious  to  sell  and 
runners  are  sent  out  to  meet  you  on  the 
street  and  induce  you  to  enter  their  special 
store. 

As  soon  as  you  are  seated  they  serve  you 
with  cafe  Arab,  a sweet  black  coffee  which 
is  most  refreshing.  Then  they  proceed  to 
show  you  their  stock,  and  being  fond  of 
bargaining,  they  first  ask  you  many  times 
the  true  value. 

It  is  a great  pleasure  to  examine  the 
beautiful  things  and  watch  the  faces  of  the 
men.  They  never  tire  showing  and  con- 
tinue to  pile  things  up  on  the  floor  until, 
when  you  wish  to  escape,  you  find  trouble 
to  climb  over  them. 

There  are  miles  of  these  crowded  narrow 
streets,  each  one  devoted  to  its  special  in- 
dUvStry,  and  the  only  way  we  find  our  way 
out  is  by  noticing  the  direction  of  the  sun, 
which  one  only  catches  glimpes  of  now 


and  then,  as  many  of  the  streets  are  under 
roof,  with  only  small  skylights. 

In  viewing  the  Arab  section  from  a high 
point  it  looks  like  one  large,  low  building, 
the  narrow  open  streets  not  showing  and 
the  roofs  all  being  flat  and  of  cement,  the 
only  relief  being  the  domes  and  minarets  of 
the  many  mosques.  Christians  are  not 
allowed  to  enter  any  mosque  in  Tunis. 

Palace  and  Prisons  Open  to  Visitors 

Visitors  ars  permitted,  however,  to  visit 
the  palace  of  the  Bey.  vSome  of  the  rooms 
are  beautiful  and  from  the  roof  one  secures 
the  finest  view  of  the  Arab  town. 

We  were  shown  the  Christian  prison  and 
slave  market,  used  during  the  times  of 
piracy  ; also  the  present  prison,  where  all 
accused  of  crime  are  confined  before  trial. 

They  are  perfect  dungeons,  devoid  of  all 
comfort,  neither  bedding  nor  seats  of  any 
kind — ^just  the  stone  floors  to  sit  and  sleep 
on.  One  good-faced  Bedouin  woman  tried 
to  tell  us,  through  the  bars,  that  she  had 
been  charged  wrongfully  with  stealing 
a donkey.  She  said  she  bought  it  from  a 
man  who  might  have  stolen  it,  but,  if  so, 
she  did  not  know  it. 

The  city  is  supplied  with  splendid  water 
from  the  mountains,  which  is  conveyed  by 
pipes  into  large  cement  reservoirs  under 
ground.  We  walked  through  the  empty 
one,  which  was  about  to  be  cleaned,  and  the 
only  sediment  on  the  floor  was  fine  wEite 
sand,  deposited  from  the  water ; not  the 
slightest  evidence  of  mud  or  soil. 

The  poor  people  get  water  from  public 
hydrants  and  carry  it  through  the  streets  in 
great  earthen  water  bottles  or  goat  skins. 
In  the  better  houses  water  has  been  in- 
troduced. 

No  Fire  Companies 

There  are  no  fire  companies,  from  the 
fact  that  all  the  houses  are  virtually  fire- 
proof Scarcely  any  wood  is  used  in  their 
construction.  The  floors  and  even  the  stair- 
ways are  stone,  and  there  are  no  means  of 
heating,  neither  fire  places  nor  chimneys. 
The  cooking  is  done  over  earthen  pots 
with  charcoal. 

We  visited  the  Bardo,  the  palace  of  the 
recently  deceased  Bey,  a few  miles  from 
the  centre  of  the  city,  part  of  which  is  now 
used  as  a museum,  containing  numerous 
relics  from  Carthage  and  other  cities  in  the 
section. 

Here,  in  the  great  hall,  is  the  famous 
Roman  mosaic  from  Susa,  the  largest  com- 
plete specimen  in  existence,  representing 


Neptune  in  his  chariot  surrounded  by 
wreathed  medallions  of  fifty-six  other 
deities. 

The  rooms  in  the  palace  are  finely 
furnished  and  contain  many  paintings  of 
old  Beys  and  rulers  of  other  countries.  We 
were  surprised  and  pleased  to  see  among 
them  a splendid  life-size  portrait  of  Wash- 
ington. 

The  Ruins  of  Carthage 

We  have  read  much  in  history  of  the 
ancient  city  of  Carthage  and  its  people,  and 
of  Hannibal,  who  led  his  great  army  into 
Spain  and  Italy  and  for  fifteen  years  be- 
sieged the  Romans,  getting  to  the  very  gate 
of  Rome. 

The  site  of  that  great  city  of  Carthage,  which 
flourished  for  seven  hundred  years,  is  only 
ten  miles  from  Tunis.  We  drove  there  one 
fine  day  and  viewed  the  beautiful  situation. 

On  this  promontory,  overlooking  the  Gulf 
of  Tunis,  scarcely  a stone  is  left  standing, 
for  Scipio  deemed  it  best  for  the  safety  of 
Rome  that  it  should  be  utterly  destroyed. 

The  first  four  days  we  were  in  Tunis  the 
Carnival  preceding  Lent  was  in  progress.  It 
commenced  with  a torchlight  military 
parade  ; the  second  day  the  battle  of  flow- 
ers ; third,  the  Arabian  display,  and  fourth, 
the  tradesmen’s  parade,  with  many  pretty 
and  unique  floats. 

The  third  day  was  best,  when  many 
sturdy  Arabs  from  the  surrounding  country 
rode  in  upon  their  fiery  steeds  to  join  in  the 
races. 

Horses  and  men  were  magnificently 
arrayed  and  apparently  filled  with  excite- 
ment. The  riders  loaded  and  fired  and 
brandished  their  muskets  in  all  possible 
ways  while  going  at  full  speed. 

On  Washington’s  Birthday 

we  were  entertained  by  the  American  Con- 
sul. His  daughter  sang,  by  request,  that 
charming  song  ; “ Home,  Sweet  Home.”  in 
honor  of  John  Howard  Payne,  the  author, 
who  was  the  American  consul  in  Tunis 
thirty-eight  years  and  died  here  in  1852. 
We  saw  his  monument  in  the  Episcopal 
church  yard  and  attended  service  at  the 
little  Episcopal  church,  that  being  the  only 
Protestant  one  here,  and  met  the  rector 
and  his  fam  ly  and  a number  of  mission 
workers,  some  of  whom  have  been  here 
twenty  five  years,  teaching  and  striving  to 
convert  to  Christianity  Jewish  and  Arab 
children.  There  are  many  in  their  schools 
and  some  former  scholars  are  now  teachers. 

The  Women  Here 

The  Moslem  women  here  cover  their  faces 
with  tight  fitting  black  gauze,  showing  only 
the  eyes.  This  is  even  less  attractive  than 
the  white  covering  in  Algiers. 


Jewesses  do  not  cover  their  faces,  but 
wear  a cone-shaped  head  dress  and  an  outer 
wrap,  usually  of  thin  white  silk,  which 
covers  head  and  shoulders,  reaching  below 
the  knees. 

Their  slippers,  which  are  entirely  too 
short,  are  worn  with  the  heels  turned  in  and 
reach  only  to  the  hollow  of  the  foot,  leaving 
the  back  project.  This  makes  them  walk 
in  a most  ungainly  fashion. 

All  of  them  are  short  and  very  stout.  Of 
this  they  are  proud  ; in  fact,  a Jewish 
maiden  is  not  marriageable  until  she 
weighs  one  hundred  and  forty-four  pounds. 
In  order  to  acquire  this  they  eat  “ kous- 
kous,”  a granulated  wheat  preparation,  and, 
if  necessary,  are  tied  in  chairs  to  prevent 
exercise. 

A Jewish  Wedding 

We  attended  a Jewish  wedding.  The 
groom  entered  the  synagogue  with  a few 
male  attendants,  sat  on  a side  bench, 
w^earing  all  the  time  a blue  and  white 
striped  shawl  over  his  shoulders. 

The  rabbi,  standing  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  building,  read  the  prayer,  after 
which  the  party  left  and  we  followed,  going 
through  a maze  of  narrow  streets  to  the 
home  of  the  bride. 

As  we  approached,  a group  of  children 
sang  and  gave  a greeting  which  sounded 
like  an  Indian  war-whoop. 

Then  we  entered  and  climbed  the  stone 
stairway  to  an  upper  chamber.  Here  many 
guests  were  assembled,  male  and  female. 

The  bride  and  four  bridesmaids,  splendidly 
dressed,  were  in  an  alcove  about  eight  feet 
square.  The  bride  sat  on  a bench  in  the 
back,  the  groom  took  a seat  at  her  left,  and 
we  were  given  places  near  them.  The 
bridesmaids  stood  on  the  bench  and  held  a 
pretty  silk  canopy  over  the  bride  and 
groom,  ten  others  at  the  right  holding  large 
burning  candles. 

The  rabbi  stood  in  front  of  the  pair  with  a 
arge  glass  of  red  wine  in  his  hand  and  pro- 
nounced, from  memory,  a long  ceremony. 
The  contracting  parties  did  not  speak,  but 
at  the  close  of  the  ceremony  the  groom 
took  from  his  pocket  a ring,  placed  it  on  the 
bride’s  finger,  and  then  the  ear-splitting 
war-whoop  was  given  again,  for  good  luck. 

Then  the  groom  drank  from  the  glass  of 
wine,  next  the  bride  and  the  rabbi,  after 
which  there  was  a rush  of  all  the  men  to 
get  a taste  of  it.  We  shook  hands  with  the 
couple  and  departed. 

This  will  give  you,  I hope,  some  slight 
idea  of  the  curious  scenes  and  customs  that 
surround  us  here  and  you  can  well  under- 
stand the  fascination  of  three  w’eeks  in  such 
a novel  atmosphere. 

We  leave  to-day  for  Palermo,  Sicily. 


0 


<j,.  k 


LETTER  NUMBER  SIX 


Palermo,  March  12,  1904. 

We  left  Tunis  by  steamer  on  the  evening- 
of  March  12th,  The  following  morning  we 
touched  at  Trapani,  on  the  West  coast  of 
Sicily,  and  then  steamed  close  to  the  beauti- 
ful mountainous  coast,  arriving  at  Palermo, 
on  the  North,  about  noon. 

Palorma,  the  Capital  of  Sicily, 
has  a population  of  three  hundred  thousand, 
and  while  it  is  only  eighty  miles  irom  Tunis, 
the  two  places  are  as  different  as  day  and 
night.  Not  an  Arab  nor  Moor  is  seen  here. 

The  city  and  suburbs  occux>y  a fertile  plain 
of  many  miles  in  extent,  surrounded  with 
barren,  rocky  mountains. 

It  is  well  laid  out  with  paved  streets,  fine 
stores,  residences  and  public  buildings,  all 
of  plastered  stone. 

The  business  sections  are  thronged  with 
people  and  great  numbers  of  carriages  are 
on  the  streets. 

There  are  many  beautiful  private  villas  in 
the  suburbs  with  fine  old  gardens,  through 
which  visitors  are  permitted  to  drive  and 
inspect  the  flowers  and  greenhouses. 

In  visiting  new  places  our  first  desire  is  to 
obtain  the  best  general  view,  so  with  that  in 
mind,  we  took  donkeys  and  ascended  Monte 
Pellegrino,  over  2000  feet  high. 

It  rises  abruptly  from  the  sea,  but  slopes 
gently  towards  Palermo.  It  is  a rugged 
limestone  rock  without  a tree,  but  there  is 
considerable  grass  in  places,  and  thousands 
of  goats  graze  upon  it.  The  view  from  the 
top  is  charming. 

Near  the  summit  is  an  immense  cave 
called  the  Grotto  of  St.  Rosalia,  now  con- 
verted into  a church  Tradition  says  that 
St.  Rosalia,  a niece  of  the  Norman  King 
William  II,  while  in  the  bloom  of  youth, 
fled  here  from  motives  of  piety. 

Her  bones  were  discovered  in  1624  and 
conveyed  to  Palermo.  Their  presence  at 
once  banished  the  plague  then  raging,  and 
since  then  St.  Rosalia  has  been  the  patron 
saint  of  the  city. 

Tombs  of  Hhe  Royal  Dead 

The  Cathedral,  in  the  heart  of  the  town, 
erected  in  1169.  was  very  interesting.  Here 
are  the  tombs  of  the  kings,  magnificently 
executed  sarcophagi  of  porphyry,  with 
canopies  of  the  same. 

In  these  are  the  remains  of  King  Roger 
who  died  1154,  his  daughter  Constance,  wife 
of  Henry  VI,  Emperor  P'rederick  II,  King 
Henry  VI,  William,  son  of  King  Frederick 
III,  and  Peter  II  of  Aragon. 

But  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  churches 
is  the  Cappella  Palatina,  connected  with  the 
Royal  Palace  and  built  in  1132  by  Roger  II, 
in  the  Arabian  Norman  style. 

It  is  a little  gem,  and  when  seen  by  the 


early  morning  light,  which  shows  to  advan- 
tage the  exquisite  mosaics,  one  is  filled  with 
delight.  There  is  about  it  an  air  of  dignity, 
purity  and  sanctity  that  one  rarely  finds. 

Another  charming  church  is  at  Monreale, 
an  old  town  situated  on  a mountain  aboiit 
eight  miles  from  the  city. 

This  edifice  was  also  built  in  the  twelfth 
century  and  is  filled  with  mosaics  represent- 
ing nearly  all  the  important  events  recorded 
in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 

We  examined  them  with  the  deepest  in- 
terest and  then  ascended  to  the  roof,  where 
we  had  a fine  view  of  Palermo  and  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

A Gruesome  Visit 

Returning  from  Monreale  we  visited  the 
Convents  de'  Cappuccini,  in  the  subterranean 
corridors  of  which  are  8000  mummified 
bodies  of  the  former  inhabitants  of  Palermo, 
clad  in  their  robes  of  long  ago. 

They  are  ex^josed  to  full  view,  the  most  of 
them  in  erect  positions  on  the  walls,  some  in 
coffins  with  glass  sides,  several  bodies  in 
one  coffin. 

The  whole  scene  is  the  most  gruesome 
that  could  possibly  be  conceived  of  and  the 
horror  of  the  scene  long  remains  with  one. 

About  fifty  miles  from  Palermo  is  the  site 
of  the  ancient  city  of  Segesta,  founded  about 
500  B.  C.  The  excursion  there  occupies  a 
whole  day,  the  first  part  via  train,  along  the 
Northern  coast  of  the  island,  skirting  the 
beautiful  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean 
with  the  high  cliffs  on  the  other  side. 

One  of  the  l\(los-5:  Attractive  Points 
was  the  Gulf  of  Castellamare.  This  was 
formed  by  the  mountains  on  each  side  ex- 
tending into  the  sea  for  several  miles. 

These  spurs  were  at  least  ten  miles  apart, 
making  a fine  cove  of  beautiful  light  blue 
water.  Leaving  the  train  we  took  carriages 
for  six  miles  and  then  donkeys  for  the 
ascent  of  the  mountain. 

There  stands  one  of  the  best  preserved 
Doric  temples  of  ancient  times,  200  feet  long 
and  85  wide.  There  are  standing  all  the 
columns,  36  in  number,  29  feet  high  and  6 in 
diameter. 

On  an  adjoining  hill  is  the  ruin  of  a 
theatre,  but  ever5^  other  vestige  of  the  an- 
cient city  has  disappeared. 

During  our  sojourn  in  Palermo  we  have 
stayed  at  the  well-known  Hotel  de  Palmes, 
which  is  noted  not  only  for  its  charm  as  a 
hotel  and  for  the  rare  collection  of  pictures, 
tapestries  and  china,  but  also  as  the  spot  in 
which  V/agner  completed  his  Parsifal. 

We  have  had  sunshine  and  delightful 
weather  here  and  now  leave  to  return  to 
Naples,  hoping  to  find  equally  good  weather 
in  Italy. 


LETTER  NUMBER  SE:VE:N 


Naples,  March  19,  1904. 

The  trip  by  sea  from  Palermo  to  Naples  is 
usually  boisterous,  many  told  us  of  its  ter- 
rors, but  we  again  were  favored  with  a quiet 
passage.  We  left  Palermo  in  the  evening  of 
March  nth  and  arrived  here  the  next  morn- 
ing at  eight  o’clock. 

Our  first  desire  was  for  news  from  home, 
so  we  went  at  once  to  Cook’s  ofiice,  which 
we  found  crowded  with  tourists  getting 
letters  and  purchasing  tickets  for  different 
trips. 

We  then  drove  to  San  Martino,  located  on 
the  heights  of  St.  Elmo  and  commanding 
the  most  charming  view  of  the  city  and  bay 
of  Naples  and  Vesuvius. 

It  is  a suppressed  Carthusian  Monastery 
which  was  built  in  the  thirteenth  century 
and  now  contains  a good  museum. 

Virgil's  Resting  Place 

Another  charming  drive  was  to  Posilipo,  a 
long  hill  that  bounds  Naples  on  the  West. 
There  are  numerous  beautiful  villas  and 
Virgil,  the  great  poet,  lived  and  died  there. 

We  desired  to  see  his  tomb  and  w’ere 
guided  by  a small  boy,  who  led  us  by  many 
steps  and  circuitous  ways  to  the  spot  where 
it  is  said  his  body  rests.  It  is  guarded  by  a 
woman  who  for  a small  fee  unlocked  the 
gate  and  permitted  us  to  enter. 

We  also  visited  the  extensive  National 
Museum,  in  the  city.  It  contains  many 
wonderful  relics,  excavated  treasures  from 
the  buried  cities  of  Herculaneum  and  Pom- 
peii, together  with  many  works  of  art,  both 
paintings  and  statuary.  We  spent  part  of 
two  days  there,  but  could  make  merely  a 
hurried  examination.  We  were  most 
charmed  with  the  statuary. 

Our  visit  to  the  Royal  Palace  was  exceed- 
ingly  pleasant.  It  contains  many  large 
rooms,  handsomely  furnished,  the  walls  of 
each  hung  with  silk  tapestries  and  the 
furniture  covers  and  curtains  of  the  same 
material.  Within  the  palace  there  is  a fine 
cha^  el  and  a theatre  for  the  exclusive  use  of 
the  royal  family. 

A beautiful  pleasure  ground  called  the 
Villa  Nazionale  is  laid  out  along  the  bay. 
It  contains  fine  fountains  and  statuary,  trees 
and  flowers. 

In  a large  building  in  the  centre  is  an 
aquarium  containing  many  curious  marine 
animals  of  the  Mediterranean,  said  to  be  the 
finest  collection  in  the  world. 

Several  nations,  including  our  own,  con- 
tribute towards  its  maintenance  for  the 


privilege  of  sending  naturalists  to  study 
there. 

We  visited  many  other  buildings  and 
places  of  interest  in  different  sections  of  the 
city,  also  the  stores  and  the  streets  where 
the  poorer  reside. 

The  people  live  and  do  much  work  on  the 
s reets  in  front  of  their  grimy-looking  homes, 
even  wash  and  comb  their  hair  and  examine 
the  heads  of  the  children,  just  as  uncon- 
cerned as  though  they  were  in  private. 

Their  faces  are  interesting,  bright  black 
eyes,  smooth  olive  brown  skins  and  rosy 
cheeks.  They  look  strong  and  healthy,  due 
no  doubt  to  their  life  in  the  open  air,  but 
they  are  poorly  clad  and  wretchedly  dirty. 

A Visit  to  Mt.  Vesuvius 

We  were  favored  with  a clear  bright  morn- 
ing for  the  ascent  of  Vesuvius.  Cook  & Son 
are  entitled  to  much  credit  for  providing 
every  facility  for  this  trip. 

They  have  built  an  electric  railroad  and 
also  a cable  road  that  ascends  to  within  a 
few  hundred  feet  of  the  crater.  The  road  is 
not  entirely  completed  so  they  sent  us  in 
carriages  part  of  the  way. 

We  started  at  8.30  from  Cook’s  office  and 
drove  several  miles  through  the  city.  The 
plains  all  about  the  foot  of  the  mountain  are 
interspersed  with  cottages  and  gardens 
teeming  with  luxuriant  vineyards  and  veget- 
ables. 

Gradually  the  vegetation  ceases  and  the 
mountain  is  one  mass  of  cinders  and  lava. 
The  lava  has  assumed  many  shapes  in  flow- 
ing down  the  sides,  especially  at  the  lower 
places,  where  it  had  partially  cooled  to  a 
mushy  consistency. 

At  noon  we  reached  the  point  where  the 
electric  track  commences.  Here  we  lunched 
at  a restaurant  which  Cook  & Son  have  built 
for  the  convenience  of  tourists. 

The  views  from  every  point  of  the  ascent 
are  simply  indescribable.  The  clear  atmos- 
phere enabled  us  to  see  the  country  for 
many  miles,  with  the  whole  of  Naples  and 
the  bay. 

We  ascended  two-thirds  of  the  way  by  the 
electric  cars,  then  by  cable  cars  to  within 
three  hundred  feet  of  the  top.  The  balance 
is  very  steep  and  dangerous  and  guides  must 
be  taken. 

The  depth  of  soft  ashes  makes  walking 
very  hard  so  chairs  and  carriers  are  provided 
for  those  who  desire  them.  I chose  to  be 
carried  by  four  stalwart  men,  others  were 
assisted  with  ropes  by  guides. 


Approaching  the  summit  we  heard  a 
curious  roaring  and  upon  reaching  the  top 
we  were  conducted  at  once  to  the  mouth  of 
the  crater. 

It  was  filled  with  smoke,  which  the  wind 
blew  in  our  faces,  and  laden  with  sulphur, 
so  that  we  fled  for  fresh  air. 

A Good  Look  Into  the  Crater 

The  wind  changed,  however,  and  we  re- 
turned and  looked  deep  down  into  the  heart 
of  the  crater.  The  sides  were  quite  distinct 
and  showed  much  sulphur. 

The  smoke  prevented  us  from  seeing  the 
bottom,  but  while  looking,  four  eruptions 
occurred,  sounding  like  cannons  bombard- 
ing, and  at  each  explosion  heavy  smoke  and 
red-hot  stones  were  thrown  up  nearly  to 
the  top. 

I had  often  wondered  if  I would  have  the 
courage  to  took  into  an  active  volcano,  but 
strange  to  say,  there  was  not  the  slightest 
fear,  the  whole  mind  was  absorbed  by  the 
grandeur  of  the  spectacle. 

Descending,  we  were  profoundly  im- 
pressed with  the  great  danger  of  the  inhabit- 
ants on  the  slopes  of  the  mountain,  for  we 
could  trace  the  streams  of  lava  in  many 
directions,  about  gardens  and  buildings. 

The  Ruins  of  Pompeii 


and  about  two  thousand  lost  their  lives. 

The  shower  of  ashes  continued  until  the 
city  was  completely  buried.  It  was  entirely 
lost  sight  of  for  many  centuries. 

In  1592  the  first  excavations  were  made 
and  since  then  the  city  has  been  dug  out 
and  the  ashes  removed.  Many  valuable 
relics,  including  some  fine  statuary,  were 
found  and  removed  to  various  museums. 

A Journey  Through  the  City 

It  was  most  interesting  to  walk  through 
the  streets  of  this  deserted  city.  The  walls 
and  columns  of  many  private  houses  and 
public  buildings  are  standing,  but  the  roofs 
had  all  fallen  in  with  the  weight  of  ashes 
and  have  been  removed. 

The  streets  are  all  narrow  and  paved  in 
the  roughest  manner  with  large  irregular- 
shaped hard  stones.  Many  places  there  are 
deeply  worn  by  wagon  wheels. 

The  curb  stones  are  a foot  high  and  at  the 
crossings  there  are  two  or  more  large  stones, 
as  high  as  the  curbs,  to  enable  walkers  to 
cross  during  heavy  rains. 

There  are  many  heavily  built  stone  water 
troughs  in  the  streets.  These  were  supplied 
with  flowing  water  through  lead  pipes,  many 
of  which  remain. 

Well-preserved  Frescos 


We  spent  five  fine  days  in  Naples  and 
then  visited  the  exhumed  city  of  Pompeii. 
This  ancient  place  stood  on  the  plains  seven 
miles  distant  from  Vesuvius.  It  was  pros- 
perous and  had  20,000  inhabitants. 

In  63  A.  D.  a great  earthquake  partially 
destroyed  it,  but  it  was  soon  rebuilt  and  im- 
proved. In  79  A.  D.  Vesuvius  developed  as 
a volcano,  first  throwing  out  showers  of 
pumice  stone  the  size  of  beans,  to  the  depth 
of  three  feet. 

This  alarmed  the  citizens  and  they  all  fled. 
Some,  however,  returned  to  obtain  valuables 


In  the  interior  of  many  houses  the  plas- 
tered walls  are  in  good  condition  and  the 
colors  of  the  frescoing  and  dainty  figures 
painted  on  them  are  still  perfect. 

There  is  every  indication  that  the  people 
of  Pompeii  had  reached  a high  state  of 
culture  and  wealth.  In  wandering  through 
the  streets  and  houses  our  minds  could  but 
picture  them  in  the  midst  of  the  comforts 
and  enjoyments  of  life  when  the  terrible 
catastrophe  occurred. 

Bulwer  in  his  “Last  Days  of  Pompeii” 
gives  a vivid  description  of  its  terrors. 


1 

l'  '■■ 


'■’.1 


LETTER  NUMBER  ElIGHT 


Naples,  March  26,  1904. 

We  were  advised  by  friends,  before  leav- 
ing home  and  by  many  whom  we  have  since 
met,  that  we  should  not  fail  to  visit  a num- 
ber of  interesting  places  in  the  vicinity  of 
Naples. 

It  being  a hurried  trip,  we  left  our  trunks 
in  Naples  and  took  train  for  an  inland  town 
named  Cava.  We  remained  over  night  and 
the  following  morning  went  by  train  to  the 
ancient  city  of  Paestum,  where  are  standing 
the  ruins  of  three  large  temples,  two  of  them 
in  fair  condition. 

The  best  preserved  and  the  most  beautiful 
one,  the  Temple  of  Neptune,  stands  in  a 
position  commanding  a fine  view  of  the 
Gulf  of  Salerno.  This  is  of  nearly  the  same 
proportions  and  general  appearance  as  the 
temples  at  Segesta,  described  in  a former 
letter. 

An  Indescribably  Charming  Drive 

After  examining  the  ruins  we  retraced  our 
steps  as  far  as  Salerno,  a city  on  the  gulf  of 
the  same  name.  Our  carriage,  previously 
ordered  from  Cava,  was  in  waiting  and  at 
4 o’clock  in  the  afternoon  we  started  on  a 
most  beautiful  drive  of  fifteen  miles. 

The  road  was  good,  although  cut  out  of 
the  solid  cliffs  on  the  mountain  side,  requir- 
ing wonderful  engineering  skill  and  immense 
labor. 

It  followed  the  coast,  making  great  detours 
to  escape  the  deep  gullies,  ever  giving 
wonderful  glimpses  of  land  and  gulf,  the 
mountain  filled  with  the  beauteous  coloring 
of  early  spring  and  the  water  varying  from 
the  daintiest  green  blue  to  deepest  indigo. 

Our  horses  fairly  flew  over  the  Macadam 
road  and  as  the  sun  was  setting  we  reached 
the  picturesque  town  of  Amalfi. 

We  climbed  the  two  hundred  steps  to  the 
Hotel  Cappuccini,  which  is  on  the  rocky 
cliffs,  with  beautiful  terraced  gardens,  one 
above  the  other,  reaching  to  the  mountain 
top. 

The  building  was  used  as  a convent  until 
suppressed  by  the  Italian  government,  and 
the  little  cells  once  inhabited  by  monks  are 
now  filled  with  the  ever  restless  sight-seers. 

We  obtained  charming  sunny  rooms,  over- 
looking the  gulf,  with  also  a fine  view  of  the 
town,  and  the  beach  beyond  filled  with 
fishing  boats  and  nets. 

Enchanting  Tour  Through  Paper  Mill  Valley 

We  remained  in  this  romantic  spot  two 
days.  The  scenes  on  the  streets  were  inter- 
esting, but  the  paper  mill  valley  w'as  simply 


enchanting,  with  its  varied  scenery,  numer- 
ous  water  falls  and  eighteen  paper  mills. 

They  are  not  the  great  buildings  we  have 
in  America,  but  tiny  little  boxes  all  covered 
with  moss  and  ferns,  with  cyclamen  growing 
by  the  door. 

We  climbed  up  to  the  very  last  one  and 
went  into  it.  The  machinery  was  of  the 
most  antiquated  character,  the  paper  made 
being  chiefly  for  wrappers  and  of  poor 
quality,  yet  they  claim  that  paper  making 
was  invented  there  ! 

Several  miles  away,  on  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  is  the  old  town  of  Ravello,  at  one 
time  a large  city. 

There  is  a fine  old  cathedral  and  a palace 
of  the  former  ruler.  The  gardens  are  espe- 
cially pretty  and  the  view  extensive. 

We  drove  again  from  Amalfi  to  Sorrento. 
This  was  also  along  the  mountain  side  and 
even  more  beautiful  than  the  drive  to 
Amalfi. 

We  stopped  at  noon  for  luncheon  at  a 
pleasant  restaurant  named  Margherita  and 
after  an  hour’s  rest,  and  the  enjoyment  of 
the  views,  we  resumed  the  drive,  arriving 
at  Sorrento,  on  the  Bay  of  Naples,  in  the 
afternoon. 

This  also  is  a beautiful  town,  with  many 
good  houses  and  stores.  In  ancient  times  it 
is  said  to  have  rivalled  Naples  and  was  a 
famous  resort  for  wealthy  Romans.  It  is 
still  a great  health  resort  in  winter  for 
foreigners  and  in  summer  for  Italians. 

It  is  especially  noted  for  manufacturing 
fine  inlaid  wood  work  and  silk. 

We  had  several  pleasant  drives  while  there. 
Then  we  went  by  steamer  to  the  island  of 
Capri,  also  in  the  Bay  of  Naples  and  a most 
picturesque  and  romantic  spot. 

A Peculiai*  But  Pleasant  Experience 

It  is  noted  for  its  climate  and  the  blue 
grotto,  a cavern  in  the  side  of  the  great 
perpendicular  cliffs  that  overhang  the  sea. 

We  had  heard  much  of  the  beauties  of  the 
grotto  and  were  anxious  to  visit  it,  so  we 
secured  a boat  and  a pleasant  faced  old  man 
and  a boy. 

They  rowed  along  the  rocky  shore  about 
two  miles,  in  a rough  sea,  the  waves  dashing 
against  the  rocks  with  great  fury. 

When  we  saw  the  tiny  three-foot  opening 
into  the  cavern  and  the  waves  dashing  into 
it,  completely  hiding  it  from  view  we  feared 
we  could  not  enter. 

A second  man  took  the  boy’s  place  and 
we  lay  flat  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  and 
covered  with  mackintoshes. 


They  rowed  close  up  to  the  opening  and 
then  held  the  boat  by  a chain,  at  the 
entrance,  waiting  for  the  waves  to  recede. 
In  the  meantime  we  were  being  well- 
sprinkled  by  the  dashing  waves. 

Our  boatmen  were  expert,  for,  at  an 
opportune  moment,  we  shot  through  the 
hole  and  found  ourselves  in  a chamber  forty 
feet  high  and  several  hundred  long  and 
wide.  The  sight  within  was  indescribably 
beautiful. 

The  light  from  the  small  opening  tints  the 
water  a most  charming  electric  blue  which 
is  reflected  over  the  whole  interior. 

While  we  were  enjoying  its  charms  an- 
other boat  came  crashing  through,  scraping 
the  sides  of  the  rock.  A young  German 
girl  who  was  in  it  was  completely  drenched. 

Our  men  got  us  out  as  successfully  as  we 


had  entered  and  they  clapped  their  hands  for 
joy.  While  on  the  island  we  took  a donkey 
ride  to  the  top  of  To  Capo,  to  the  ruins  of 
the  Villa  di  Tiberio,  where,  it  is  said,  the 
Roman  ruler  Tiberius  fled  after  the  fall  of 
Sejanus,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

A Peep  at  the  German  Emperor 
The  last  day  that  we  were  in  Capri  the 
yacht  of  the  German  Emperor  steamed  into 
the  harbor,  and  as  the  entire  population  was 
going  to  meet  him,  we  joined  the  ranks  and 
stationed  ourselves  where  we  secured  a fine 
view  as  he  drove  past. 

He  went  to  Anacapri  to  call  on  the  Prin- 
cess of  Norway  and  Sweden,  who  has  a 
villa  there,  after  which  he  boarded  his 
steamer  and  returned  to  Naples. 

We  left  for  Naples  the  same  afternoon  and 
the  following  morning  started  for  Rome. 


\ 


LETTER  NUMBER  NINE 


Rome,  April  12,  1904. 

We  left  Naples  on  the  morning  of  March 
26  by  train  for  Rome,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  distant. 

We  passed  through  a level,  fertile  country, 
thoroughly  cultivated  ; there  were  no  weeds 
to  be  seen  and  no  land  wasted  by  fences. 

There  were  many  extensive  vineyards,  the 
vines  trained  on  small  closely  trimmed  trees, 
instead  of  stakes. 

The  long  range  of  snow-clad  Apennine 
Mountains  was  ever  in  view,  also  a nearer 
range  called  the  Alban  Hills  from  whence 
the  early  settlers  of  Rome  came,  driven 
away  by  volcanic  eruptions.  There  are 
many  picturesque  villages  on  the  slopes. 

As  w’e  approached  the  city  we  entered  the 
great  plane  known  as  the  Campagna,  once 
densely  populated,  but  now  deserted.  Even 
the  cultivation  here  is  scant  as  the  terrible 
fevers  ravage  the  entire  section  as  soon  as 
the  warm  weather  comes. 

We  then  saw  the  ancient  aqueducts  and 
the  Appian  Way,  over  which  the  Apostle 
Paul  walked,  a prisoner,  to  be  tried  before 
Caesar. 

Our  hearts  thrilled  with  excitement  with 
memories  of  the  history  of  ancient  Rome 
and  we  were  anxious  to  be  within  its  gates. 

As  soon  as  we  were  located  in  the  hotel 
we  took  carriage  and  drove  over  the  prin- 
cipal parts  of  the  city.  This  general  view 
enabled  us  in  a measure  to  .systematize  our 
plans  for  sight-seeing. 

Eighteen  Days’  Sight-seeing  in  Rome 

We  remained  in  Rome  eighteen  days  ; 
clear,  beautiful  spring  days — the  trees  were 
putting  forth  their  buds  and  leaves,  and  so 
it  has  been  in  nearly  all  the  places  we  have 
visited — the  spring  has  travelled  with  us. 

We  were  busy  all  the  time  but  could  not 
visit  all  the  places  of  intere.st.  In  fact,  we 
were  truly  overwhelmed. 

Think  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
churches,  and  almost  as  many  palaces  and 
museums,  and  all  of  them  filled  with  statuary 
and  paintings  by  the  old  masters.  Then  the 
beautiful  villas  and  parks,  in  city  and  sub- 
urbs, besides  the  many  ruins  of  ancient 
Rome.  A detailed  explanation  would  fill 
volumes. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  city  is  im- 
posing. The  streets  are  wide  and  scru- 
pulously clean,  nearly  all  the  buildings  are 
large,  the  most  of  them  covering  whole 
blocks  of  ground,  of  fine  architectural  ap- 


pearance, uniform  in  height,  five  and  six 
stories. 

There  are  many  delightful  tiny  breathing 
spaces  and  squares,  where  one  suddenly 
discovers  a choice  bit  of  statuary,  or  beautiful 
gu.shing  fountain  or  stately  column  tellir.g 
of  days  and  deeds  gone  by. 

An  Ancient  Example  For  Modern  Munici- 
palities 

The  abundance  of  delicious  water  with 
which  Rome  is  supplied  comes  from  the 
Sabine  Mountains,  sixty  miles  away,  all 
brought  by  gravitation  and  much  of  it 
through  the  old  Roman  aqueducts,  built 
over  two  thousand  years  ago. 

How  much  better  than  our  modern  system 
of  permitting  the  pur  water  from  the  moun- 
tains to  flow  down  our  rivers,  accumulating 
the  filth  and  pollution  of  many  cities  before 
we  use  it.  Surely  the  time  will  come  when 
we  will  profit  by  the  example  of  the  ancients. 

The  present  population  of  Rome  is  about 
five  hundred  thousand.  Ancient  Rome  had 
several  millions.  It  is  the  capital  of  United 
Italy. 

The  king's  palace  is  here  and  numerous 
large  public  buildings.  The  foreign  embassies 
are  here.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  world  and  the  home  of  the  Pope, 
and  a centre  of  both  history  and  art. 

Thus  vast  numbers  of  people  are  drawn 
hither  from  all  over  the  world.  During 
Easter  week  it  was  over-crowded  and  it  was 
difficult  to  obtain  hotel  accommodations. 

Services  were  held  in  St.  Peter’s  and  in 
nearly  all  the  churches  and  great  numbers 
attended.  We  went  to  St.  Peter’s  many 
times.  Its  proportions,  vastness  and  beauty 
are  most  attractive. 

Think  of  a church  holding  eighty  thous- 
and people!  On  our  last  visit,  when  the 
Pope  officiated,  the  building  was  packed. 

A Visit  to  the  Vatican 

We  visited  the  Vatican,  where  the  Pope 
resides.  It  adjoins  St.  Peter’s  and  is  a vast 
building,  containing  over  one  thousand 
rooms  and  galleries.  Many  of  them  are 
open  to  the  public  and  are  filled  with  the 
choicest  works  of  art.  It  takes  days  to  see 
these  treasures  and  the  memory  of  them  is  a 
continual  joy. 

We  had  a special  permit  for  the  Borgia 
apartments,  where  are  some  fine  old  frescoes 
and  choice  old  tapestries.  My  favorite, 
however,  in  the  Vatican,  is  the  painting  of 


the  Transfiguration  by  Raphael.  According 
to  my  judgment,  it  excels  them  all. 

On  Good  Friday  we  went  to  the  Scala 
Santa,  or  Holy  Stairs,  where  there  are 
twenty-eight  broad  marble  steps  from  Pilate’s 
palace  in  Jerusalem,  on  which  Jesus  is  said 
to  have  walked. 

These  can  only  be  ascended  on  the  knees 
and  they  were  crowded  with  pious  people 
so  ascending.  These  are  the  steps  Martin 
IvUther  was  climbing  when  the  inspiration 
came  to  him;  “The  just  shall  live  by  faith.” 

We  were  much  interested  in  seeing  the 
old  Mamertine  Prison,  an  underground 
dungeon  where  the  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul 
were  confined.  It  is  a dark,  damp  place. 
Prisoners  were  lowered  into  it  through  a 
hole  in  the  floor  above. 

We  were  shown  a depression  in  the  solid 
rock  said  to  have  been  made  by  Peter’s  head, 
when  the  guard  struck  him.  It  has  been 
kissed  by  the  faithful  until  it  is  quite  worn, 
so  it  is  now  protected  by  iron  grating. 

The  Tomb  of  Pius  IX 

In  the  basement  of  the  church  of  San 
Lorenzo  is  a little  chapel  containing  the 
tomb  of  Pius  IX.  It  is  richly  decorated  with 
beautiful  mosaics  and  precious  stones,  and 
probably  contains  more  jewels  than  any 
other  room  of  the  kind,  although  the  tomb 
itself,  according  to  the  wish  of  the  deceased 


Pope,  is  of  the  plainest  character,  being 
simply  a marble  sarcophagus  in  a niche, 
painted  like  those  in  the  catacombs. 

The  church  of  St.  Sebastian  contains  a 
magnificent  figure  in  marble  of  that  saint. 
In  fact,  all  the  churches,  palaces  and  muse- 
ums have  some  choice  paintings  and  stat- 
uary, which  makes  it  necessary  to  visit 
many,  many  places. 

* Romo's  Protestant  Churches 

There  are  few  Protestant  churches  in 
Rome.  The  English  All  Saints  Episcopal 
Church  is  a creditable  building,  holding 
about  six  hundred  people. 

The  Presbyterians  also  have  a pleasant 
church  and  the  American  Methodist  Epis- 
copal congregation  has  a fine  large  building 
in  a good  locality.  It  is  a mission  house 
and  theological  school  combined.  It  is  five 
stories  high  and  substantially  built.  Services 
are  held  there  in  English  and  Italian,  in 
separate  chapels,  and  are  well-attended. 

On  Easter  morning,  the  pastor.  Rev.  F.  W. 
Wright,  preached  a most  excellent  sermon 
on  The  Risen  Christ.  We  attended  several 
services  and  were  deeply  impressed  with 
the  Christian  zeal  and  earnestness  of  pastor 
and  people. 

There  is  so  much  to  be  seen  in  Rome  that 
I must  reserve  until  another  letter  a further 
account  of  what  we  saw  and  experienced. 


ii  I k I Cunr^O^tU/l  / 

/ / 


— I 


LETTER  NUMBER  TEN 


Rome,  April  26,  1904. 

We  have  had  a number  of  charming 
drives,  visiting  Rome’s  public  and  private 
parks.  The  Villa  Doria-Pamphili  was  the 
most  beautiful.  Though  private  grounds, 
there  are  miles  of  good  wide  drives  and  fine 
gardens  and  groves.  Much  of  it  reminded 
us  of  our  Fairmount  Park.  This  is  open  to 
the  public  two  days  each  week. 

The  Villa  Borghese  is  another  extensive 
and  beautiful  place.  We  drove  along  the 
summit  of  the  Janiculum  Hill,  where  the 
view  was  most  extensive.  St.  Peter’s  on 
our  left  ; in  front  and  beneath  a fine  view 
of  the  whole  city,  with  the  Tiber  River 
winding  through  it.  Here  also  stands  a fine 
statue  of  Garibaldi,  who  did  so  much  for 
the  liberty  of  Italy. 

Reminders  of  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles 

We  drove  through  the  Pincio  “hill  of  gar- 
dens” quite  in  the  city,  the  resort  of  Roman 
wealth  and  fashion,  and  over  the  celebrated 
Appian  Way,  beyond  the  place  where  the 
disciples  met  the  Apostle  Paul  as  he  came  to 
Rome. 

This  must  have  been  a grand  thoroughfare 
in  the  ancient  times.  On  either  side  of  the 
roadway  are  wide  spaces  where  the  great 
personages  were  buried.  The  ruins  of  many 
tombs  still  remain,  stripped  of  most  of  the 
statues  and  marble  coverings. 

We  also  went  through  another  of  the  old 
city  gates,  where  it  is  said  Paul  walked  to 
the  place  of  his  execution. 

Peter  accompanied  him,  and  a church  has 
been  erected  upon  the  place  where  they 
took  leave  of  each  other. 

Nearby  is  St.  Paul’s  Church,  erected  over 
the  spot  where  he  was  buried.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  in  Rome,  containing 
splendid  ancient  mosaics  and  charming 
marble  walls  and  columns.  Six  of  the  finest 
columns  were  presented  by  the  Viceroy  of 
Egypt. 

Nearly  all  the  churches  were  erected  in 
the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries,  but  have 
been  rebuilt  and  embellished  from  time  to 
time  by  the  various  Popes  and  an  enormous 
amount  of  money  has  been  expended 
thereon. 

Rome’s  Fascinating  History 

Modern  Rome  is  truly  beautiful  and  in- 
teresting, but  the  greatest  charms  are  in  her 
ancient  history  and  ruins. 

The  Republic  was  founded  about  the  year 
753  B C.  by  Romulus  and  Remus,  twin 
brothers. 


The  legend  says  they  were  the  sons  of  a 
sister  of  a king  of  one  of  the  ancient  tribes, 
who,  being  angered  with  her,  caused  her 
and  the  children  to  be  thrown  into  the  river 
Tiber. 

The  mother  was  drowned,  but  the  chil- 
dren, through  the  interposition  of  the  god 
Mars,  were  washed  on  shore  and  nursed  by 
a wolf,  and  later  adopted  by  a kind  woman 
who  had  twelve  children  of  her  own. 

The  story  seems  to  have  full  credence, 
and  the  wolf  nursing  the  infants  is  the  Italian 
emblem,  and  is  seen  everywhere. 

Romulus  when  a man  assumed  the  leader- 
ship of  his  people,  who  at  that  time  occupied 
the  Palatin  Hill,  one  of  the  seven  on  which 
the  city  is  built.  The  hill  nearby  now 
called  the  Capitoline  was  occupied  by  a 
tribe  of  Sabines. 

Between  these  two  hills  was  a level  valley, 
about  one-fourth  of  a mile  long  and  half 
that  in  width.  This  was  common  ground, 
where  all  the  tribes  met  and  transacted 
business  and  when  they  united  under  one 
government,  this  place  became  the  Roman 
Forum. 

From  time  to  time  splendid  buildings, 
temples  and  arches  were  erected,  and  it 
maintained  its  importance  down  to  the 
latest  period  of  ancient  Rome. 

When  Rome  became  an  Empire,  all  the 
Emperors  erected  beautiful  buildings  and 
temples  to  perpetuate  their  memories,  both 
in  the  Roman  and  other  forums  in  different 
parts  of  the  city. 

Ruthless  Devastation 

After  the  fall  of  the  Empire,  about  500 
A.  D.,  wanton  destruction  commenced.  The 
beautiful  temples  were  divested  of  their 
marble  walls  and  used  for  the  building  of 
modern  Rome. 

Many  of  the  statues  were  removed  and 
many  broken  in  pieces,  and  gradually  the 
grounds  of  the  forums  became  dumps  for 
the  refuse  of  the  city,  until  they  were  com- 
pletely buried  and  their  names  almost  for- 
gotten. 

In  1509  A.  D.,  Raphael  formed  a plan  for 
restoring  the  ancient  city.  This  was  soon 
abandoned  and  again  covered. 

Excavations  recommenced  in  1803  and 
continued  until  the  present.  Now  much  of 
the  ancient  city  has  been  dug  out,  and  as  we 
wandered  over  these  historic  places,  guide- 
books in  hand,  reading  and  examining  the 
ruins,  we  realized  that  the  old  Romans  were 
wonderful  people — great  architects,  states- 
men, orators  and  soldiers. 


Great  Names  Recalled 

Here  was  the  Senate  chamber,  where  the 
great  Caesar  presided  and  spoke  with  such 
eloquence,  and  here  was  he  assassinated 
and  his  body  burned. 

Here  Mark  Antony  delivered  that  eloquent 
oration  arraigning  Brutus,  the  assassin. 

At  the  East  end  of  the  Forum  stands  the 
Colosseum,  where  a hundred  thousand 
Romans  sat  and  watched  the  games  and 
gladiatorial  contests. 

During  the  reign  of  Titus,  here  was  cele- 
brated the  One  Thousandth  Anniversary  of 
the  founding  of  Rome.  One  thousand  wild 
beasts  were  in  the  arena  and  thousands  of 
gladiators  fighting  to  the  death. 

Near  the  Colosseum  stands  a magnificent 
triumphal  arch,  erected  in  memory  of 
Emperor  Constantine,  when  he  declared 
himself  in  favor  of  Christianity. 

One  of  the  best  preserved  buildings  of  the 
ancients  is  the  Pantheon,  a round  edifice 
with  a fine  dome.  It  is  lighted  by  an  open- 
ing in  the  top. 

The  walls  are  twenty  feet  thick  and  there 
are  numerous  large  columns  in  a fairly  good 
state  of  preservation.  The  marble  of  the 


exterior  has  been  removed  and  the  metal 
lining  of  the  dome  was  used  to  make  the 
ornamental  pillars  for  the  high  altar  in 
St.  Peter’s. 

It  is  said  that  Michael  Angelo  modeled 
the  dome  of  St.  Peter’s  after  the  dome  of 
this  old  heathen  temple.  The  building  is 
now  used  as  a Catholic  church.  Raphael, 
King  Victor  Emmanuel  H and  King  Hum- 
bert are  all  buried  here, 

Rome  Baffles  Description 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  many 
interesting  places  and  things  that  we  have 
seen  during  our  stay  and  we  begin  to  appre- 
ciate the  remarks  of  Pope  Eeo,  who,  at  one 
of  his  receptions  said  to  a traveller  : 

“How  long  have  you  been  in  Rome  ?” 

“One  week,  your  holiness,  and  I have 
seen  it  thoroughly,”  was  the  reply. 

He  asked  another,  who  said  he  had  been 
in  Rome  three  months. 

The  Pope  replied  : “Then  you  are  begin- 
ning to  know  Rome.” 

Another  said  he  had  been  in  the  city  ten 
years,  to  which  the  Pope  replied  : “Then 
doubtless  you  have  realized  that  you  never 
will  know  Rome.” 


/ 


LETTER  NUMBER  ELEVEN 


Florence,  April  19,  1904. 

We  left  Rome,  by  train,  on  the  afternoon 
of  April  12  for  Siena,  ninety-three  miles 
distant. 

The  city  of  Siena  is  built  on  three  hills 
1300  feet  high  and  has  a population  of  25,000. 
There  has  been  little  grading  done,  conse- 
quently it  is  a city  of  ups  and  downs,  with 
many  streets  so  narrow  and  steep  that  car- 
riages cannot  go  on  them. 

There  are  many  large  public  and  private 
buildings  of  quaint  architecture  and  many 
interesting  churches  with  beautiful  frescoes. 
In  fact,  Siena  is  one  of  the  richest  cities  in 
early  art  treasures — only  Rome,  Florence 
and  Venice  excelling. 

A Remarkable  Cathedral 

The  cathedral,  which  is  its  most  imposing 
building,  stands  on  the  highest  ground  in 
the  town,  on  the  site  of  the  heathen  temple 
of  Minerva. 

It  was  built  early  in  the  thirteenth  century, 
has  a large  dome  and  a high  tower  and  is 
constructed,  inside  and  out,  of  alternate 
la3’'ers  of  black  and  white  marble.  The  front 
is  very  ornamental  being  richlj'  decorated 
with  sculpture,  statues  and  mosaics. 

The  interior  is  most  effective,  especially  as 
we  saw  it,  with  its  beautiful  columns  bearing 
the  flags  of  the  Contrada  and  the  wonderful 
marble  floor  uncovered,  showing  its  ancient 
“Graffito”  drawings  and  inlaid  marbles  de- 
picting Bible  scenes,  and  the  beautiful  altar 
bearing  the  sacred  head  of  St.  Catharine, 
the  patron  saint  of  Siena,  surrounded  by 
hundreds  of  burning  candles. 

On  all  sides  one  hears  of  St.  Catharine. 
She  was  born  and  died  in  Siena  and  was 
greatly  beloved.  The  house  where  she  lived 
is  now  used  as  a chapel  and  her  picture 
decorates  many  of  the  churches.  A most 
charming  one  by  Sodoma  is  in  the  old 
church  of  San  Domenico. 

We  drove  one  day  several  miles  in  the 
countrj^  to  a suppre.ssed  Franciscan  mon- 
astery, especiallj'  to  see  a beautiful  work  in 
porcelain  by  the  noted  Andrea  della  Robbia. 

It  represented  the  coronation  of  the  Virgin 
and  was  truly  magnificent.  The  figures 
seemed  alive  and  the  faces  lovely.  The  sad 
eyes  drew  you  nearer,  while  the  angel  faces 
were  bright  living  children  and  you  felt  like 
pinching  the  chubby  little  cheeks. 

A Celebration  in  Siena 

We  prolonged  our  stay  in  Siena  several 
days  as  a great  festa  was  to  occur,  and  King 
Victor  Emanuel  II  was  coming  to  participate. 

The  town  was  gaily  decorated,  especially 


the  road  from  the  station  to  the  Palazzo 
Publico,  a large  municipal  building  where 
an  exhibition  was  to  be  opened  by  the  king. 

In  front  of  this  is  a large  D-shaped  space 
called  the  Piazza  del  Campo,  surrounded 
with  a roadway  where  the  annual  races, 
called  the  Palio,  occur. 

The  people  are  permitted  to  occupy  the 
campo  free.  Platforms  were  arranged  against 
the  houses  all  around  the  course  and  places 
were  sold  thereon,  also  on  the  balconies  and 
at  the  windows  and  we  secured  good  seats 
for  the  three  days. 

The  mornings  and  afternoons  of  two  days 
were  devoted  to  practice,  but  these  were 
interesting  and  great  crowds  witnessed  them. 

The  third  day  there  was  a grand  parade  to 
escort  the  king  from  the  railway  station. 
He  arrived  at  9 a.  m.  was  met  by  a large 
delegation  of  citizens,  with  numerous  bands, 
and  conducted  at  once  to  the  Palazza  Publico 
— to  formally  open  the  exhibition. 

From  our  window  we  saw  him  as  he 
passed.  The  people  were  not  boisterous, 
but  greeted  him  by  clapping  of  hands,  he 
bowing  and  saluting  in  return. 

The  Palio  Described 

The  Palio  is  an  ancient  festa  and  has  oc- 
curred twice  a year  since  the  twelfth  century. 
The  contestants  are  clubs  or  Contrade,  as 
they  are  called,  representing  different  sec- 
tions of  the  city. 

Representatives  of  ten  contrada  are  se- 
lected to  contest  in  the  races.  Twenty  or 
more  horses  are  all  tried  and  ten  are  selected 
by  the  committee. 

Then  these  are  assigned  by  lot  to  the 
riders,  and  the  men  are  allowed  four  trial 
races  on  the  two  days  before  the  final. 

On  the  day  of  and  immediately  preceding 
the  race,  each  club  repairs  to  its  special 
church,  taking  their  horse  to  be  blessed. 

This  ceremony  is  quite  interesting.  In 
the  little  chapel  of  St.  Catharine,  near  our 
quarters,  the  horse  was  led  in,  covered  with 
a beautiful  green  and  white  blanket,  the 
men  wearing  ancient  costumes  of  the  same 
color. 

The  priest  stood  in  front  of  the  horse  and 
read  a prayer,  then  he  sprinkled  the  animal 
with  holy  water  and  blessed  it. 

The  flags  were  placed  on  the  altar,  sprin- 
kled and  blessed  and  finally  the  men — for 
the  Palio,  strange  as  it  may  seem  to  our 
American  ideas,  is  a service  to  Our  Dady  of 
August  and  therefore  interwoven  wnth 
religious  services. 


We  then  repaired  to  our  places  to  view 
the  race.  The  people  had  already  gathered 
in  great  numbers.  The  whole  piazza  was 
apparently  full.  All  the  seats  were  taken 
and  there  was  a wonderful  array  of  faces. 
The  great  bell  in  the  old  tower  was  ringing 
and  all  was  expectation. 

At  four  p.  ni.  the  first  signal  was  fired, 
giving  notice  to  clear  the  course.  Mounted 
policemen  appeared  at  one  end  followed  by 
a number  on  foot. 

It  was  interesting  to  note  the  quiet  and 
gentle  manner  of  the  officers.  The  crowd 
moved  slowly  in  front  of  them,  but  no  one 
war  pushed,  hurried  or  treated  roughly. 

A Marvellous  Multitude 

Owing  to  the  mass  of  people  already  in  the 
centre  of  the  campo,  it  seemed  impossible  to 
find  standing  room  for  them,  yet  that  was 
the  only  possible  available  space. 

It  took  a long  time  to  accomplish  it  and  I 
never  saw  such  a mass  of  people  packed  so 
closely. 

There  were  certainly  thirty  thousand  in 
the  Piazza  and  as  many  more  on  the  bal- 
conies, seats,  windows  and  housetops  sur- 
rounding. 

When  the  road  was  entirely  cleared  and 
even  the  police  had  left  it,  all  was  ready  for 
the  display. 

Another  signal  was  fired.  The  various 
contrada  moved  slowly  from  a side  street 
onto  the  course. 

Truly  it  was  a most  picturesque  sight. 
There  were  seventeen  clubs  in  line,  all 
dressed  in  magnificent  ancient  costumes  and 
each  in  their  special  colors. 

In  front  of  every  club  were  two  flag 
bearers  and  in  the  rear  walked  the  horse 
that  was  to  take  part  in  the  race. 

The  flags  were  of  uniform  size,  about  five 
feet  square,  with  the  colors  and  crest  thereon. 
The  flag  bearers  were  very  expert  in  waving 
and  manceuvering. 

They  kept  them  constantly  moving  while 
marching  and  in  front  of  the  king  they 
stopped  for  some  minutes  and  gave  a most 
excellent  display,  keeping  them,  by  rapid 
motion,  always  extended. 

At  the  finish  they  thew  them  high  in  the 
air,  caught  them  by  the  poles  as  they  came 
down,  and  bowing,  moved  forward,  their 
colors  still  flying. 

There  were  enough  of  these  paraders  to 
cover  the  whole  course. 

Following  the  procession  were  a few  gaily 
deeorated  floats,  one  bearing  the  handsomely 
painted  Palio  (banner)  that  was  to  be  pre- 
sented to  the  winner  of  the  race. 

Special  seats  had  been  provided  on  a plat- 
form in  front  of  the  Palazzo  Publico  for  all 
the  paraders  and  when  in  place,  with  the 
floats  as  a background,  they  made  a beau- 
tiful picture. 

Exciting  Sport  at  the  Races 

Now  for  the  races  ! The  signal  was  fired, 
ten  horsemen  came  through  the  arch  of  the 
Palazzo  Publico,  each  man  wearing  his  club 
colors,  and  the  horses  without  saddles  or 


trappings  of  any  kind  except  bridles  and 
reins. 

They  all  gathered  between  the  two  ropes  ; 
again  the  signal  was  fired,  one  rope  dropped, 
and  the  riders  dashed  forward  with  wild 
excitement,  each  determined  to  win. 

They  clubbed  their  horses  and  clubbed 
the  riders  in  the  effort  to  get  the  lead  and 
keep  each  other  baek. 

During  this  malee  one  rider — orange,  blue 
and  white — representing  the  Unicorn  Quatro, 
took  the  lead  fully  two  yards. 

All  now  were  striving  to  pass  him.  Once 
around  the  course,  and  two  others  were  only 
a few  paces  behind  the  leader. 

It  was  wonderful  riding,  each  man  laying 
on  the  whip  and  forcing  his  horse  to  the 
utmost. 

On  the  second  round,  at  one  of  the  sharp 
turns,  two  men  were  thrown  from  their 
horses  and  apparently  badiy  injured,  but 
the  riderless  horses  kept  on  to  the  finish. 

The  third  round  was  intensely  exciting. 
One  man  who  had  won  all  the  trial  races 
was  now  a good  second  and  was  urging  his 
horse  for  the  final  dash,  but  when  the  signal 
was  fired  he  was  still  three  yards  behind. 

During  all  the  excitement  there  was 
scarcely  a sound  or  a cheer  from  the  vast 
assemblage. 

The  winner  and  his  horse  and  friends, 
with  the  Palio,  marched  in  front  of  the 
King,  who  saluted  them,  and  the  great 
event  was  over,  save  that  the  winning  con- 
trada marched  in  a body,  with  their  horse, 
to  their  chapel  to  return  thanks. 

The  crowd  quietly  dispersed  and  as  they 
began  to  thin  out  we  walked  homeward  and 
to  our  surprise  and  pleasure  again  saw  the 
King,  on  his  way  to  the  station  He  is  a 
small  man,  with  thin  face,  light,  sandy 
mustache  and  a kindly  expression.  We  also 
saw  Mark  Twain,  who  had  come  from 
Florence  to  witness  the  races. 

Ride  to  An  Antique  Mountain  Town 

At  8 o’clock  the  following  morning  we 
took  carriage  for  a drive  of  twenty-five 
miles  to  San  Gimignano,  an  ancient  moun- 
tain town  of  3000  inhabitants. 

It  is  said  no  town  in  Tuscany  presents  so 
faithful  a picture  of  Dante’s  time.  It  stands 
on  a high  hill  and  looks  quite  peculiar  with 
its  thirteen  high  square  bell  towers. 

We  visited  the  town  hall  and  the  room 
where  Dante  addressed  the  authorities,  as  a 
representative  from  Florence.  Here  and 
in  the  churches  and  museum.s  are  some  fine 
old  frescoes. 

We  were  shown  a well-preserved  manu- 
script in  the  handwriting  of  Martin  Luther, 
with  his  signature. 

We  visited  an  old  garden  with  a quaint 
old  well,  surrounded  with  great  quantities  of 
blooming  lilacs,  and  mounted  an  ivy-covered 
tower  in  one  corner,  where  we  had  a magni- 
ficent view  of  the  city  and  surrounding 
country. 

At  3 p.  m.  we  drove  seven  and  a half  miles 
to  the  town  of  Poggibonsi,  where  we  took 
train  for  Florence,  arriving  at  8 p.  m. 


LETTER  NUMBER  TWE:LVE 


Florence,  April  29,  1904. 

We  spent  ten  days  in  Florence  and  found 
it  a most  interesting  and  attractive  city,  and 
justly  entitled  to  the  name  the  Italians 
delight  to  call  it  (la  Belle). 

It  is  situated  in  the  valley  of  the  Arno. 
The  silvery  river  of  that  name  courses 
through  the  centre,  surrounded  with  gently 
sloping  spurs  of  the  Alpine  Mountains,  and 
these  are  dotted  with  pretty  villas. 

We  drove  along  the  Arno  and  through  the 
city,  frequently,  and  had  two  most  charming 
drives  into  the  surrounding  country — one  to 
Fiesole,  an  old  Etruscan  city  founded  be- 
fore Florence. 

It  is  situated  on  a hill  North  of  the  city 
and  commands  a most  extensive  view  of 
Florence.  Here  are  the  remains  of  a Roman 
theatre  and  baths.  The  place  is  rich  in 
historical  interest. 

Southeast  of  the  city  stands  a Franciscan 
monastery,  San  Miniato,  on  a fine  promi- 
nence, at  one  time  a fortification  commanded 
by  the  renowned  Michael  Angelo. 

The  drive  to  this  place  was  over  a fine 
road  lined  on  both  sides  with  tall  cypress 
trees  and  lovely  gardens,  giving  many 
delightful  views. 

Beautiful  Ancient  Architecture 

Most  of  Florence  dates  from  the  eleventh 
and  twelfth  centuries.  The  buildings  are 
picturesque  and  interesting  and  associated 
with  thrilling  scenes. 

There  is  one  group  in  the  central  part  of 
the  city  deserving  of  special  mention.  The 
Cathedral,  built  about  1300,  con.structed  of 
alternate  layers  of  black  and  white  marble, 
its  exterior  very  beautiful  and  the  interior 
namented  with  fine  frescoes,  painting  and 
statuary. 

Beside  this  stands  the  noted  Campanile,  a 
square  bell  tower  292  feet  high,  also  con- 
structed of  marble.  This  is  richly  decorated 
with  carving  and  numerous  statues.  Ruskin 
claims  that  it  is  the  finest  building  of  the 
kind  in  the  world. 

Opposite  these  stands  the  Baptistery,  an 
admirable  octagonal  structure  with  well- 
proportioned  cupola.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
founded  in  the  eighth  century.  Three  bronze 
doors  of  beautiful  design  are  a striking 
feature.  It  was  formerly  used  as  the  cathe- 
dral and  now  all  children  born  in  Florence 
are  baptized  here. 

While  we  were  examining  the  interior, 
two  infants  were  brought  for  baptism. 


Their  little  bodies  were  wrapped  tight  and 
straight  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  after  quite 
a lengthy  service  the  priest  stood  them  on 
the  font  and  poured  a large  cup  of  water 
over  their  heads.  Then  their  heads  were 
carefully  dried  and  powdered,  their  caps  put 
on  and  the  babes  returned  to  their  mothers. 

Reminders  of  the  Good  and  Great  Savana- 
rola 

Many  buildings  are  closely  identified 
with  that  good  and  great  friar,  Savanorola, 
who  labored  fervently  for  the  purification 
and  uplifting  of  the  church  he  loved. 

He  was  imprisoned,  tortured  and  burned 
at  the  stake,  but  the  church  now  appreciates 
his  labors  and  honors  his  memory. 

We  visited  the  Monastery  of  San  Marco, 
where  he  once  resided.  This  building  is 
now  used  as  a museum  and  contains  many 
beautiful  frescoes  by  Fra  Giovani  Angelico, 
one  of  Savanarola’s  friends  who  was  burned 
at  the  stake  with  him. 

We  visited  the  church  of  San  Marco,  ad- 
joining the  monastery,  and  saw  the  pulpit 
from  which  Savanarola  preached  his  last 
sermon,  and  the  Palazzo  Vecchio,  a castle- 
like building  with  a high  tower,  where  the 
three  friars  were  imprisoned  and  tortured. 

In  front  of  the  last-men  tioned  building  they 
were  burned  at  the  stake.  The  spot  is  marked 
by  a bronze  slab  and  each  year,  upon  the  anni. 
versary,  it  is  strewn  with  flowers. 

Beautiful  Works  of  tha  Great  Masters 

We  visited  several  museums  and  art  gal- 
leries, all  of  which  contain  a vast  number  of 
fine  works  of  the  great  masters. 

The  choicest  pieces  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery 
are  arranged  in  the  “Tribune.”  Michael 
Angelo’s  “Group  of  Wrestlers”  is  there  and 
his  “Holy  Family,”  his  only  easel  painting; 
also  a number  of  Raphael’s  pictures,  includ- 
ing his  Madonna  and  Child, with  The  Gold- 
finch. 

We  enjoyed  most  the  statuary  and  paint- 
ings in  the  Pitti  Gallery.  The  decorations 
of  the  rooms  in  the  old  palace  are  a joy  in 
themselves. 

This  palace  was  the  residence  of  the  king 
at  one  time.  The  gallery  contains  about  five 
hundred  works,  among  which  are  the  origin- 
als of  both  of  Raphael’s  celebrated  Madon- 
nas. 

There  are  also  many  fine  pictures  in  other 
art  galleries  and  museums,  and  it  is  claimed 
that  Florence  contains  more  treasures  of  art 
than  any  other  city  of  its  size. 


An  Odd  Connecting  Link 

The  UfBzi  and  Pitti  Galleries  are  on  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  river  Arno,  but  are  connect- 
ed by  a passage  way  on  the  tops  of  the 
houses,  on  the  ancient  bridge  Ponte  Veechio. 

It  is  a quaint-looking  affair,  has  three  arches 
or  spans  of  solid  stone  work  and  the  houses 
are  built  on  both  sides,  projecting  over  and 
supported  with  braces. 

These  are  used  as  stores  and  the  bridge  is 
a busy  business  street.  This  is  in  the  cen  - 
tral  part  of  the  city  and  many  historical 
events  and  much  riot  and  bloodshed  has 
occurred  here. 

The  Arno  is  walled  on  both  sides  and  has 
six  other  substantial  bridges. 


One  of  the  most  noted  churches  is  the 
Santa  Croce,  about  six  hundred  years  old. 
It  is  Gothic  in  .structure,  quite  large  and  con- 
tains many  magnificent  tombs  of  noted 
people — one  of  Michael  Angelo,  designed  by 
Vasari  ; Dante’s  tomb,  the  mo.st  beautiful 
of  all ; the  tomb  of  Galileo  and  numerous 
others. 

In  front  of  the  church  .stands  a large 
statue  of  Dante.  While  his  memory  is  now 
honored,  it  will  be  remembered  that  he  also 
was  excommunicated. 

The  whole  city  is  adorned  with  fine  old 
trees  and  gardens  and  blooming  flowers  in 
great  luxuriance  and  we  shall  long  remem- 
ber it  as  the  city  of  flowers  and  art. 


I 


LETTER  NUMBER  THIRTEEN 


Venice,  May  12,  1904. 

We  left  Florence  at  eleven  o’clock  on  the 
morning  of  April  28,  and  just  as  the  sun  was 
setting,  came  in  sight  of  Venice,  the  city  in 
the  sea  ! 

As  our  train  crossed  the  long  low  bridge 
over  the  lagoon,  the  glow  on  the  water  was 
charming. 

We  entered  the  great  train  shed,  de- 
scended— before  us  lay  the  Grand  Canal, 
covered  with  graceful  black  swan-like  boats, 
pointed  at  both  ends  and  raking  up  out  of 
the  water. 

These  were  the  gondolas  and  as  we  seated 
ourselves  among  the  soft  cushions  and 
glided  out  into  the  stream,  our  hearts  stood 
still, 

A Marvelously  Tinted  Picture 

The  wonderful  sunset  glow  was  upon 
everything.  It  tinted  the  marble  halls  as 
they  rose  like  dreams  from  the  water,  it 
added  life  and  breath  to  the  exquisite  reflec- 
tions and  we  sat  silent,  absorbing  the  peace 
about  us,  rocked  by  the  sway  of  the  gondola 
and  charmed  by  the  rhythm  and  dip  of  the 
oar  of  our  unseen  gondolier. 

On,  on  we  went — the  shadows  gathered 
round  and  the  lights  appeared  and  added  to 
the  charm. 

We  passed  under  the  old  Rialto  Bridge, 
then  into  a narrov/  side  canal,  where  we 
heard  the  weird  calls  of  the  gondoliers  giv- 
ing the  signals  of  their  course.  Then  came 
a blaze  of  lights  and  a sharp  turn  brought  us 
again  to  the  Grand  Canal  and  our  hotel. 

After  dinner  we  walked  upon  the  Riva,  a 
wide  promenade  bordering  the  upper  end  of 
the  Grand  Canal.  The  night  was  clear,  the 
moon  full,  the  air  balmy.  The  water  was 
covered  with  gondolas,  music  and  song 
filled  the  air  and  we  were  enchanted.  All 
night  long  the  music  and  singing  continued 
and  we  were  at  the  windows  over  and  over 
again— -completely  entranced. 

In  the  morning  of  course  the  first  place  we 
visited  was  the  Piazza  of  St.  Mark.  It  is 
always  the  centre  of  attraction. 

Here  stands  the  beautiful  Gothic  palace  of 
the  Doges,  a tiny  corner  of  which  caused 
Ruskin  to  write  a whole  book.  The  interior 
is  teeming  with  historic  interest. 

We  saw  the  room  of  the  secret  Council  of 
Ten,  where  many  innocents  were  doomed  to 
torture  and  death.  Also  the  opening  in  the 
wall  where  private  communications  were 
sent  to  the  council  ; crossed  the  Bridge  of 
Sighs  over  which  the  prisoners  were  taken 
to  the  dungeons,  looked  into  the  very  dun- 


geons and  stood  on  the  spot  where  the 
guillotine  did  its  dreadful  work. 

We  left  it  all  thanking  God  that  those 
awful  days  were  past — that  the  beautiful 
palace  with  its  carving  and  frescoes  and 
silent  halls  alone  remained  to  tell  the  tale. 

The  Great  Church  of  St.  Mark 

Adjoining  the  palace  is  the  beautiful 
church  of  St.  Mark,  originally  the  private 
chapel  of  the  Doge,  but  now  the  Cathedral 
of  Venice. 

When  first  we  saw  it,  the  Western  sun 
was  shining  full  upon  the  structure — each 
column,  arch  and  pinnacle  stood  out  per- 
fectly, while  the  old  mosaics  above  the  doors 
fairly  shone. 

It  was  a beautiful  sight,  and  as  we  stood, 
the  old  clock  struck  four,  the  pigeons  hov- 
ered round  and  from  the  corner  where  the 
campanile  once  stood,  came  the  rhythm  of 
the  pile  driver  and  the  song  of  the  unseen 
workmen  as  they  toiled. 

The  interior  of  St.  Mark’s  takes  days,  even 
weeks,  to  thoroughly  appreciate.  Its  pro- 
portions are  wonderful  and  every  detail 
seems  perfect — the  beautiful  marble  columns 
gathered  from  many  lands  ; the  inlaid  mar- 
ble floors  ; rare  mosaics  covering  the  ceiling 
and  upper  walls,  portraying  scenes  from  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments  and  lives  of  the 
patron  saints — and  the  high  altar  with  the 
Pala  d’Oro  altar  piece  of  silver,  gold  and 
precious  jewels. 

The  many  other  churches  in  Venice  sink 
into  insignificance  when  compared  with 
St.  Mark,  but  four  of  them  are  of  special 
interest  because  they  are  known  as  Plague 
churches. 

In  the  early  days  Venice  suffered  a number 
of  times  with  the  plague,  and  thousands 
were  carried  off  with  it.  At  the  cessation  of 
every  plague  they  rendered  thanks  to  God 
by  building  a fine  church. 

In  these  churches  are  many  interesting 
pictures,  and  the  Academy  “Belle  Arti,” 
established  by  Napoleon  in  1807,  also  con- 
tains a fine  collection  of  plague  pictures 
taken  from  the  suppressed  churches  and 
monasteries. 

Much  of  the  early  art  is  devoted  to  the  por- 
traying of  sacred  subjects  and  the  same  sub- 
jects appear  again  and  again. 

The  Bellini  Madonnas  in  Venice  are  es- 
pecially noted  and  very  beautiful ; also  a 
picture  painted  by  Titian  in  his  99th  year,  a 
noble  and  pathetic  work,  representing  the 
body  of  Christ,  just  taken  from  the  cross. 


/ 

fl 


.'■i 
■ / 


/ 


supported  by  the  mother.  Joseph  of  Ari- 
mathea  and  Mary  Magdalen  are  standing 
near. 

Noted  Venitian  Productions 

Venice  has  been  noted  for  several  hun- 
dreds of  years  for  the  manufacture  of  glass. 
The  furnaces  can  be  visited  where  one  can 
see  the  workmen  making  the  beautiful  frag- 
ile pieces. 

Venitian  lace  is  also  of  world  renown.  The 
exquisite  bits  that  are  seen  on  all  sides  are 
made  a stitch  at  a time  by  the  women  and 
girls  of  Venice — not  by  machine,  but  all  by 
hand  ! 

Practically  all  of  Venice  can  be  seen  from 
a gondola,  for  the  city  is  built  on  one  hun- 
dred and  eighteen  small  islands  and  has  one 
hundred  and  fifty  canals  crossed  by  three 
hundred  and  eighty-five  stone  bridges.  It  is 
is  of  course  the  ideal  way  to  enjoy  it  and 
the  restful,  lazy  life  is  a great  joy  after  the 
exertion  of  sight-seeing  in  many  places. 

As  we  glided  day  after  day  upon  the  water. 


the  gondolier  pointed  out  the  places  of  note 
— the  house  of  Desdemona,  the  palace  where 
Byron  lived  when  he  wrote  his  “Child 
Harold”  and  the  “Browning  Palace”-  this 
we  visited  and  inspected  all  through. 

It  is  most  inviting  and  seemed  to  be  fiilled 
with  the  spirit  of  Robert  Browning  and  his 
brilliant  wife.  The  property  still  belongs  to 
their  son  and  the  furniture  and  pictures  are 
ju.st  as  the  family  left  them.  The  son  is  an 
artist  and  there  are  fine  busts  of  both  Robert 
and  Mrs.  Browning,  by  him. 

The  Land  of  Sweet  Content 

One  day  we  went  in  the  gondola  to  the 
Public  Garden  at  the  far  end  of  the  Grand 
Canal.  There  are  twenty  acres  surrounded 
with  a strong  sea  wall  and  balustrade.  The 
spot  is  filled  with  fine  old  trees  and  blossom- 
ing shrubs,  flow’ers  and  buds.  In  one  corner 
have  been  gathered  fragments  from  the  fall- 
en campanile  and  everywhere  there  is  the 
feeling  of  sweet  content,  the  atmosphere 
that  seems  to  pervade  all  Italy. 


♦I. 


/ 


1 


LETTER  NUMBER  FOURTEEN 


lyUCERNE,  May  28,  1904, 

We  left  Venice  May  ii  and  after  nine 
hours  journey  by  train  arrived  at  the  city  of 
Milan.  Our  stay  there  was  brief,  but  we 
saw  a number  of  interesting  places. 

The  magnificent  Cathedral  is  claimed  to 
be  the  most  elaborately  externally  decorated 
church  in  the  world.  It  is  of  pure  Gothic 
design,  has  ninety-eight  turrets  and  a vast 
amount  of  sculpture,  besides  two  thousand 
marble  statues.  It  is  constructed  entirely  of 
white  marble,  hence  is  often  called  the 
wedding  cake. 

We  drove  through  the  city,  visiting  several 
churches  and  galleries,  and  saw  the  original 
picture  of  The  Last  Supper,  by  Leonardo 
de  Vinci. 

Some  of  the  faces  are  faint,  but  it  is  a 
wonderful  work  of  art.  It  is  painted  in  oil 
on  the  wall  of  an  old  monastery,  which  was 
used  by  Napoleon’s  soldiers  as  a stable. 
They  cut  a doorway  under  the  picture. 

I had  often  read  of  this  and  supposed  it 
must  have  injured  the  picture,  but  it  only  * 
took  away  the  feet  of  our  Saviour. 

We  saw  in  one  of  the  galleries  Raphael’s 
famous  picture  of  The  Marriage  of  the  Virgin. 
It  is  very  beautiful. 

The  next  day  we  went  by  train  to  the  town 
of  Como,  at  the  head  of  the  lake  of  that 
name,  and  there  took  steamboat  for  Caden- 
abbia,  arriving  before  dark. 

Boating  on  Famous  Lake  Como 

The  trip  of  about  seven  miles  was  very 
enjoyable  The  lake  averages  about  a half- 
mile  in  width  and  we  crossed  from  side  to 
side,  touching  at  the  different  landings. 

When  we  arrived  at  Cadenabbia,  we  found 
that  in  front  of  our  hotel — the  Belle  Isle — 
were  immense  arbors  of  roses,  under  which 
many  were  seated,  enjoj^ingthe  glow  of  the 
setting  sun  on  the  opposite  shores  and  snow- 
capped mountains. 

The  lake  is  thirty  miles  long  and  has  an- 
other branch  called  Lecco,  about  eight  miles 
in  length.  Along  all  the  shores  rise  charm- 
ing wooded  hills,  behind  which  are  ranges 
of  low  mountains  and  back  of  these  are  seen 
the  snow-clad  peaks  of  higher  mountains, 
which  from  every  point  of  vi.  w present 
charming  effects. 

On  the  lake  small  steamers  are  constantly 
plying  from  town  to  town,  and  besides,  there 
are  many  small  boats  with  competent  boat- 
men always  on  call  to  take  you  on  short 
trips  or  row  you  about  the  lakes. 

There  are  a number  of  private  villas  that 
the  public  may  visit  on  payment  of  a small 


fee.  I shall  only  mention  the  Villa  Carlotta, 
covering  extensive  grounds  on  the  mountain 
side,  with  fine  walks  and  a great  variety  of 
trees,  with  acres  of  well-clumped  flowering 
shrubs  and  great  banks  of  exquisite  roses 
and  blooming  vines,  running  to  the  very 
tops  of  the  trees.  As  there  is  no  very  cold 
weather  here  rose  bushes  and  other  plants 
grow  to  immense  proportions.  In  the  palace 
were  some  beautiful  pieces  of  statuary. 

We  joined  a party  of  friends  one  day,  and 
in  a naptha  launch  made  a tour  of  the 
Northern  end  of  the  lake,  stopping  at  inter- 
esting places  to  view  the  sights  and  for 
luncheon. 

On  the  shores  of  the  lake  are  numbers  of 
attractive  cottages  and  gardens  where  after- 
noon tea  is  served  with  delicious  cream  and 
wild  strawberries.  These  we  frequently 
patronized  during  our  boating  trips. 

A Surpassingly  Enchanting  Scene 

On  our  last  afternoon  at  Como  we  sat  in 
one  of  these  pretty  spots  and  gazed  with 
delight  on  the  charming  scene.  Our  view 
was  toward  the  North  end  of  the  lake,  where 
a snow-capped  range  of  mountains  crossed, 
apparently  closing  it.  On  our  right,  the 
South  side  of  the  lake,  was  the  town  of 
Bellagio,  and  on  our  left  Cadenabbia,  with 
her  pretty  shores  and  buildings — the  placid 
waters  of  the  lake  between — with  steamers 
and  rowboats  adding  to  its  charm. 

We  could  not  but  feel,  with  its  com- 
bination of  beauty,  that  Lake  Como  was  the 
most  charming  place  we  had  yet  seen  and 
we  felt  loathe  to  leave,  but  we  had  spent  ten 
pleasant  days  there  and  must  away  ! 

On  the  morning  of  May  23  we  drove  from 
Cadenabbia,  along  the  lake  front  to  Menag- 
gio,  then  ascended  the  mountain  road, 
catching  fine  views  of  familiar  places  at 
every  turn. 

In  two  hours  we  reached  Porlezza,  on 
Lake  Lugano,  and  boai'ded  a small  steamer, 
and  at  4.00  p.  m.  reached  the  town  of  Lugano, 
where  we  remained  until  the  next  day, 
stopping  at  the  Hotel  Splendid,  which  is 
well-worthy  of  its  name. 

Lugano  is  beautifully  situated,  but  is 
largely  composed  of  hotels.  At  10.30  a.  m. 
we  took  train  for  Lucerne.  The  sun  was 
shining  brightly  and  the  great  snow-capped 
Alps  stood  oiit  in  all  their  grandeur. 

We  wound  up  the  mountain  sides  and 
through  fertile  and  populous  valleys.  The 
farmers,  men  and  women,  were  making  hay 
and  the  atmosphere  was  warm,  yet  the  snow 
caps  were  very  near.  The  melting  snow 


formed  hundreds  of  cascades,  which  dashed 
over  the  rocks,  forming  crystal  streams  and 
rushing  rivers. 

We  went  through  many  tunnels,  including 
the  noted  St,  Gothard.  The  longest  took 
seventeen  minutes  to  pass  through.  They 
are  cut  in  circles  and  many  times  we  saw 
below  the  places  where  we  had  been. 

It  was  six  o’clock  in  the  evening  when  we 
reached  Lucerne  and  the  scenes  through 
which  we  had  passed  were  indescribably 
beautiful.  We  were  now 

In  the  Heart  of  Switzerland 

in  a wonderfully  picturesque  section — before 
us  the  four  lakes  of  the  cantons,  with  beau- 
tiful green  hills  rising  out  of  the  waters,  and 
beyond  the  whole  range  of  snow-covered 
Alps. 

We  remained  several  days  and  thoroughly 
enjoyed  a number  of  trips  on  the  lake 
steamers,  also  the  mountain  trips  and  drives. 

The  town  has  a population  of  thirty  thou- 
sand, but  it  is  said  as  many  as  three  hundred 
thousand  people  pass  through  it  annually, 
going  to  and  from  Italy. 

A number  of  the  nearby  mountains  have 
cable  roads.  We  ascended  Mount  Pilatus, 
6300  feet,  on  one  of  them,  at  an  angle  of 
about  forty-five  degrees.  It  took  one  hour 
and  twenty-five  minutes  to  reach  the  sum- 
mit. 

There  was  a hotel  at  the  top  where  we 
lunched,  after  which  we  enjoyed  the  pano- 
ramic views  of  towns  and  lakes  below  and 
snow-capped  mountains  above. 

There  was  plenty  of  snow  on  this  moun- 


tain and  passage  ways  were  cut  under  it, 
through  which  we  walked,  yet  it  was  quite 
warm, 

Thrilling  Memories  Revived 

There  are  many  places  near  Lucerne  of 
historic  interest.  Here  was  born  the  hero  of 
the  republic  of  Switzerland — William  Tell — 
and  many  places  on  these  rugged  hills  and 
peaceful  lakes  were  made  memorable  by 
his  skill  and  daring. 

We  visited  the  town  of  Altdorf,  where  the 
tyrant  Gessler  ruled.  Here  it  was  that  Tell 
with  his  crossbow  and  arrow  pierced  the 
apple  on  his  son’s  head.  The  places  where 
the  two  stood  are  marked  by  fountains. 
Here  also  has  been  erected  a fine  bronze 
monument  of  Tell  and  his  little  son. 

From  Altdorf  we  drove  ten  miles  along 
the  border  of  the  lake.  Much  of  the  road 
was  cut  out  of  the  cliffs  and  some  of  it  was 
tunnelled  through.  We  passed  Rutli,  a 
sacred  spot,  where  in  1307  the  first  band  of 
patriots  met  and  resolved  to  revolt  against 
the  tyrannical  rule  of  Austria.. 

In  the  very  heart  of  the  town  of  Lucerne 
there  is  a remarkable  glacier  formation 
where  a number  of  basins,  or  “pot  holes”  as 
they  are  called,  have  been  worn  in  the  hard 
rock  by  the  action  of  the  water  whirling 
stones  in  them.  The  great  stones,  worn 
smooth,  are  still  there. 

Near  by  is  the  famous  Lion,  cut  out  of  the 
solid  rock,  to  commemorate  the  bravery  of 
the  Swiss  soldiers  in  1792. 

This  is  another  spot  where  we  would  have 
enjoyed  remaining  longer,  but  our  time  was 
up  and  we  continued  our  journey  to  Paris. 


LETTER  NUMBER  FIFTEE:N 


Paris,  June  7,  1904. 

The  journey  from  Tucerne  to  Paris  took 
one  long  day,  from  7 in  the  morning  to  7 at 
night,  and  after  the  wonderful  scenery  we 
had  upon  entering  Switzerland  the  exit 
seemed  most  uninteresting. 

Arriving  in  Paris  we  found  ourselves 
caught  at  once  in  the  whirl  of  a busy  life. 
We  realized  how  crowded  the  place  was, 
when  it  proved  necessary  to  apply  to  half  a 
dozen  hotels  before  we  succeeded  in  securing 
rooms. 

The  first  day  we  drove  through  the  beau- 
tiful broad  boulevards  lined  with  fine  old 
trees,  into  their  park,  the  Bois,  past  churches, 
galleries,  gardens, — finding  everywhere  sun- 
shine, carriages,  autos  and  multitudes  of 
people. 

A View  From  the  Eiffel  Tower 

The  following  morning  a shower  cleared 
the  air  and  we  hurried  at  once  to  the  Eiffel 
Tower,  for  our  bird’s-eye  view.  When  we 
reached  the  base  a terrible  sensation  of  the 
danger  of  ascending  to  the  dizzy  height, 
suddenly  possessed  us,  but  we  started  up 
and  upon  nearer  inspection  found  little  to 
fear.  The  top,  nearly  1000  feet  in  mid-air, 
is  gained  by  the  aid  of  three  separate  ele- 
vators, each  taking  you  a part  of  the  dis- 
tance. 

The  view  gained'  is  magnificent.  The 
River  Seine  flows  at  the  foot  and  winds 
through  the  city,  encircling  the  tiny  island 
from  which  the  city  grew.  Upon  all  sides 
are  fine  buildings  of  uniform  height,  with 
Mansard  roofs. 

Occasional  church  spires  and  domes  are 
outlined  against  the  sky,  and  everywhere 
are  trees,  squares  and  parks,  and  just 
beyond  the  bend  in  the  river  lies  Versailles. 

Thrilling  Events  Recalled 

Upon  descending,  we  went  at  once  to  the 
“Isle  de  la  Cite.”  It  is  a very  tiny  island, 
but  upon  it  stands  the  Palace  of  Justice, 
Sainte  Chapelle  and  the  beautiful  Gothic 
Cathedral  of  Notre-Dame. 

The  Palace  of  Justice  was  originally  the 
palace  of  the  French  Kings  and  the  grey 
towers  on  the  North,  overlooking  the  Seine, 
are  the  very  ones  in  which  Marie  Antoinette, 
Robespierre  and  many  other  victims  of  the 
Revolution  were  imprisoned. 

As  we  stood  gazing  at  them,  the  horrible 
scenes  of  the  “Reign  of  Terror”  flashed 
through  our  minds — but  the  old  towers  were 
silent  and  gave  no  sign. 

In  the  interior  court  stands  Sainte  Cha- 


pelle, built  by  Eouis  IX,  Saint  Louise, 
especially  as  a shrine  for  the  Crown  of 
Thorns,  and  a piece  of  the  True  Cross. 

These  treasures  have  now  been  transferred 
to  Notre-Dame,  but  the  dainty  Gothic  chapel, 
with  its  graceful  lines,  inlaid  pavement  and 
stained  glass  windows  is  considered  one  of 
the  most  perfect  ecclesiastical  buildings  in 
Paris. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  island  stands  the 
beautiful  Gothic  Cathedral  of  Notre-Dame — 
its  square  towers  and  fine  proportions  giving 
it  a peculiar  dignity  of  its  own. 

Interesting  Buildings 

South  of  the  island  is  the  picturesque 
Hotel  de  Cluny,  now  containing  a fine 
museum. 

Adjoining  it  are  the  remains  of  an  old 
Roman  palace,  supposed  to  have  been  built 
by  the  father  of  Constantine. 

In  the  same  section  is  the  Luxemburg 
Palace  with  its  beautiful  Renaissance  garden 
and  the  Luxemburg  Museum  and  Art  Gallery. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  stands 
the  Louvre,  with  its  wonderful  collection  of 
sculpture  and  paintings  and  adjoining  it  is 
the  garden  of  the  Tuileries. 

We  drove  to  the  “Place  de  la  Bastille,” 
where  once  stood  that  great  old  castle 
fortress,  so  well  known  in  connection  with 
the  French  Revolution.  Every  vestige  of  it 
has  disappeared  and  a commemorative 
column  alone  marks  the  spot. 

Fully  a mile  away  is  another  column,  an 
obelisk  from  Egypt.  It  stands  where  the 
guillotine  once  held  its  awful  sway.  But  all 
trace  of  those  days  of  horror  has  been  as  it 
were  blotted  out  of  the  memory  of  man  and 
this  beautiful  square,  filled  with  fountains 
and  statues,  is  called  the  Place  de  la  Con- 
corde. 

Napoleon’s  Tomb 

On  the  Southern  bank  of  the  Seine,  oppo- 
site the  square,  is  the  Hotel  des  Invalide, 
established  by  Napoleon  as  a home  for  old 
soldiers.  Immediately  adjoining  is  the 
church  where  lies  the  body  of  Napoleon. 

The  interior  is  large  and  bare-looking,  but 
in  the  centre  of  the  edifice,  under  the  great 
dome,  is  an  immense  circular  depression. 
A massive  marble  coping  is  all  that  is  seen 
upon  first  glance,  but  upon  approaching  and 
gazing  into  the  depth  below,  one  is  unspeak- 
ably awed — there  stands  simply  a great 
polished  porphyry  sarcophagus,  magnificent 
in  proportions  and  exquisite  in  its  simplicity. 

About  the  base  are  the  names  of  battles 


won,  inlaid  in  the  pavement,  and  forming  a 
guard  of  honor  around  the  whole,  stand  the 
battle  flags,  tattered  and  torn  and  stained. 

The  spot  fascinates  young  and  old,  rich 
and  poor,  for  both  the  power  of  the  general 
and  the  humanness  of  the  man  seem  sud- 
denly to  unite. 

The  Gay  Parisian  Temperament 

A word  of  the  people  of  Paris  seems  abso- 
lutely necessary,  yet  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  convey  a correct  impression  of  the  light- 
hearted, thoughtless  butterflies  that  flit  back 
and  forth. 

They  are  essentially  made  for  sunny 
weather — the  women  in  their  dainty  gowns 


and  picture  hats,  the  men  in  their  long  coats 
and  silk  hats. 

They  seem  always  to  be  upon  pleasure 
bent  and  always  upon  exhibition.  Whether 
shopping,  or  walking,  or  driving,  they  wear 
their  best. 

The  cafes  are  full  of  animation,  for  the 
Parisian  thinks  lightly  of  home.  They  lunch 
and  dine  at  the  restaurants,  drink  their  cafe 
at  the  little  tables  upon  the  sidewalks  and 
live  always  where  they  can  see  and  be  seen. 

Such  is  Paris  upon  the  warm  sunny  days 
of  spring, — a city  in  which  to  find  endless 
entertainment  and  amusement,  a city  of 
wonderful  life  and  color,  a city  to  enjoy  but 
not  to  love. 


LETTER  NUMBER  SIXTEEIN 


London,  July  5,  1904. 

Tuesday,  June  7,  we  left  Paris  by  train, 
passing  over  a pleasant  rural  section.  In  a 
few  hours  we  reached  Dieppe,  where  we 
took  a small  steamer  to  cross  the  English 
Channel. 

The  papers  had  predicted  a calm  sea,  but 
we  trust,  if  that  was  a calm  sea,  we  may 
never  cross  when  it  is  rough. 

The  wind  grew  suddenly  cold,  the  waves 
dashed  all  over  the  ship,  and  for  three  and 
one-half  hours  there  were  some  very  un- 
happy looking  travellers. 

There  was  general  rejoicing  when  we 
reached  the  English  port  of  Newhaven. 
Another  hour,  by  train,  brought  us  to  Lon- 
don, in  all  245  miles  in  nine  hours. 

Our  First  Impression  of  London 

was  one  of  disappointment.  We  had  pic- 
tured the  quaint  old  buildings  of  which  we 
had  read,  with  peaked  roofs,  old-fashioned 
doors  and  windows  and  tiny  panes  of  glass, 
— instead,  a modern  city  with  the  usual 
rows  of  fine  houses  met  our  view. 

We  drove  much  and  rode  on  the  tops  of 
the  cumbersome  old  omnibuses,  which  by 
the  way  afford  the  best  of  views. 

As  we  rolled  over  the  smooth  wooden- 
paved  streets,  we  gradually  fell  in  love  with 
London. 

There  is  an  air  of  solid  comfort  and  a 
wondrous  feeling  of  ease  and  rest  in  the 
midst  of  the  turmoil ! 

There  are  many  pretty  parks  both  large 
and  small,  and  even 

The  Beautiful  Hyde  Park 

is  close  to  the  heart  of  the  city.  Thousands 
of  beautifully  dressed  men  and  women 
gather  there  during  the  day,  to  wander  over 
the  lovely  paths  and  upon  the  soft  green 
turf,  and  many  noted  people  drive  in  elegant 
equipages  during  the  afternoons,  even  the 
royal  family  being  often  seen. 

Another  pleasant  feature  in  the  park  is  a 
large  lake,  with  row-boats.  A bridge  crosses 
it,  the  view  from  which  is  quite  extensive 
and  most  charming.  We  often  wandered  in 
the  park  and  thoroughly  enjoyed  it. 

Our  sojourn  of  four  weeks  in  London  was 
a constant  source  of  enjoyment  and  cannot 
possibly  be  described  in  one  brief  letter. 

It  is  unquestionably  the  largest  and  most 
populous  city  in  the  world,  having  over  six 
million  inhabitants. 

Its  average  diameter  is  nearly  thirty  miles, 
with  over  eight  thousand  streets,  the  total 
length  of  which  exceeds  three  thousand 
miles. 


We  visited  the  National  and  other  galleries, 
where  there  were  many  beautiful  pictures 
and  statues. 

The  most  noted  building  in  London  is 

Westminster  Abbey 

which  is  beautiful  within  and  without  and 
dates  from  the  Xlllth  century. 

Within  its  walls  for  hundreds  of  years 
many  royal  personages  have  been  interred 
and  over  their  remains  beautiful  tombs  have 
been  erected. 

There  are  also  tombs  and  statues  of  well- 
known  statesmen  and  soldiers,  and  of  hon- 
ored men  and  women  of  various  ranks  and 
different  nations. 

The  “Poets’  corner”  contains  memorials 
to  many  whose  names  and  writings  are 
familiar  to  all,  and  whose  pens  have  illu- 
minated the  pages  of  history  and  furnished 
intellectual  food  for  the  cultured  of  the 
whole  world.  A number  of  times  we  were 
atti'acted  to  this  hallowed  spot.  Standing  in 
the  shadow  of  the  Abbey  is 

The  Great  Parliament  Building 
a massive  and  impressive  pile  on  the  bank 
of  the  Thames. 

During  a recess  of  Parliament  we  had  the 
pleasure  of  examining  the  interior  of  this 
vast  structure. 

There  is  wonderful  carving  and  fine  wood- 
work throughout,  and  it  gives  the  impres- 
sion of  great  dignity,  though  we  were  sur- 
prised to  find  the  meeting  halls  of  both  the 
Lords  and  Commons  quite  small  and  lacking 
all  conveniences  for  the  members,  there 
being  neither  desks  nor  comfortable  chairs 
for  them. 

St.  Paul’s  Cathedral 

is  also  of  great  interest.  It  is  considered  the 
masterpiece  of  that  wonderful  architect. 
Sir  Christopher  Wren. 

We  attended  worship  there  and  at  another 
time  inspected  thoroughly  its  beautiful  ex- 
terior and  interior. 

Many  fine  statues  and  tombs  are  there, 
among  them  our  own  great  painter,  Ben- 
jamin West,  and  a statue  of  Bishop  Reginald 
Heber,  author  of  that  charming  missionary 
hymn — “Greenland’s  Icy  Mountains.” 

The  Tower  of  London 

historically  the  most  interesting  spot  in  Eng- 
land, is  an  irregular  mass  of  buildings 
standing  on  the  bank  of  the  Thames,  cover- 
ing thirteen  acres  of  ground. 

There  are  now  thirteen  towers,  the  oldest 
being  the  White  Tower,  erected  A.  D.  1078. 
It  has  been  used  as  a royal  palace  and 
stronghold,  but  is  best  known  as  a prison. 


■ 


Within  its  dungeons  have  been  enacted 
many  terrible  scenes  of  cruelty  and  murder, 
tarnishing  the  pages  of  English  history. 

The  murder  of  the  two  little  princes  is 
supposed  to  have  occurred  in  this  White 
Tower  and  we  ascended  the  very  steps  under 
which  their  bones  were  discovered.  This  is 
now  used  as  a museum  and  a wonderful 
collection  of  ancient  weapons  and  armor  is 
shown. 

The  Wakefield  Tower,  where  Henry  VI 
was  said  to  have  been  murdered,  now  con- 
tains the  crown  jewels  and  gold  plate,  valued 
at  three  million  pounds. 

The  River  Thames 

double  the  width  of  the  Schuylkill,  courses 
its  crooked  way  through  the  city.  Formerly 
it  was  black  and  dirty,  but  now  the  sewage 
is  carried  to  the  sea  by  a large  conduit  along 
the  bank,  over  which  is  a fine  drive,  form- 
ing both  a useful  and  attractive  feature. 

We  had  a pleasant  steamboat  trip  on  the 
Thames,  going  from  Westminster  bridge  to 
Greenwich,  where  the  world-renowned  ob- 
servatory is  located.  It  is  the  centre  for  all 
astronomical  calculations  for  Great  Britain. 

During  our  stay  in  London  the  anniversary 
of  the  King’s  birthday  occurred.  There  is 
always  a great  military  display  upon  that 
day,  known  as  “the  trooping  of  the  colors,” 


when  the  picked  men  of  the  army  appear 
on  parade.  It  is  a wonderful  sight  and  we 
were  most  fortunate  in  securing  delightful 
positions  for  viewing  the  scene. 

The  Ascot  Races 

also  occurred  and  we  attended  on  the  “Gold 
Cup  Day.”  The  King  and  Queen  and  many 
of  the  royal  family  drove  up  the  course  in 
the  royal  carriages,  with  outriders  and 
mounted  guards.  It  was  a gay  scene.  The 
extensive  lawn,  with  its  fine  old  trees,  fairly 
teemed  with  happy  people  in  gorgeous 
gowns.  The  greatest  treat,  however,  was 
in  witnessing 

The  Henley  Regatta 

Through  a good  friend  we  secured  seats 
on  the  grand  stand,  where  we  could  see 
almost  the  entire  course,  over  a mile  long. 

Thousands  of  people  were  gathered  on 
both  banks  of  the  Thames  and  vast  numbers 
were  in  boats  on  the  river.  We  had  never 
before  beheld  such  an  extensive  and  pic- 
turesque sight. 

There  were  many  races,  closely  contested 
and  most  exciting.  At  the  end  we  witnessed 
the  presentation  of  the  prizes  and  then  re- 
turned to  London  and  the  next  day  departed, 
with  most  pleasant  recollections  of  our  so- 
journ and  the  many  kind  friends  we  met  in 
the  great  city. 


/ 


✓ 


LETTER  NUMBER  SEIVENTEEN 


IvONDON,  July  6,  1904. 

From  Ivondon  we  visited  the  town  of 
Winsdor,  21  miles  West,  on  the  river 
Thames.  There  stands  beautiful  Windsor 
Castle,  which  for  hundreds  of  years  has 
been  the  residence  of  the  royal  family. 

Some  friends  guided  us  about,  showing  us 
the  Royal  Chapels,  the  quaint  Horseshoe 
Cloisters,  the  Curfew  Tower,  the  sombre 
looking  castle  with  its  great  Round  Tower 
and  the  stables. 

It  is  a massive  pile  of  buildings  and,  stand- 
ing as  it  does,  surrounded  by  Windsor  Park, 
has  truly  a kingly  aspect. 

From  the  castle  gate  there  is  a fine  wide 
roadway  lined  on  either  side  with  rows  of 
elms,  planted  in  1680.  It  is  perfectly 
straight,  three  miles  in  length  and  is  known 
as  the  Long  Walk.  An  equestrian  statue  of 
George  III  stands  at  the  extreme  end. 

To  the  left  of  the  walk  is  Frogmore,  a spot 
Queen  Victoria  dearly  loved.  Her  mother, 
the  Duchess  of  Kent,  long  resided  in  Frog- 
more  house  and  there  the  Queen  built  a 
beautiful  mausoleum  for  her  husband.  Prince 
Albert,  and  now  she  rests  beside  him. 

We  spent  a morning  driving  through  the 
Windsor  Great  Park  of  1800  acres  of  magni- 
ficent woodland,  stopping  at  Virginia  Water 
en  route. 

Eton  College 

On  the  other  side  of  the  river  Thames  a 
short  distance  from  the  castle  stands  Fton 
College,  a famous  Fnglish  school  founded 
by  Henry  VI.  It  is  a quaint  group  of  build- 
ings. The  Eton  boys  look  very  natty  in 
their  short  jackets,  white  collars  and  high 
silk  hats. 

The  following  day  we  drove  to  Stoke 
Poges,  the  country  church  yard  where 
Thomas  Gray  wrote  his  beautiful  Elegy. 

We  were  enraptured  with  the  place — the 
quaint  church,  well-cared-for  grounds, 
splendid  trees  and  blooming  flowers. 

We  lingered  under  the  yew  tree,  now  four 
hundred  years  old,  where  he  sat  and  wrote, 
and  gazed  long  at  his  tomb,  which  contains 
no  epitaph,  but  we  supply  from  his  Elegy — 

“Here  rests  his  head  upon  the  lap  of  Earth, 

A youth,  to  Fortune  and  to  Fame  unknown  : 

Fair  Science  frown’d  not  on  his  humble  birth, 
And  Melancholy  mark’d  him  for  her  own. 

“No  farther  seek  his  merits  to  disclose, 

Or  draw  his  frailties  from  their  dread  abode, 

(There  they  alike  in  trembling  hope  repose,) 
The  bosom  of  his  Father  and  his  God.’’ 

We  continued  our  drive  to  the  celebrated 
Burnham  Beeches,  an  extensive  grove  of 


trees  eight  hundred  years  old.  We 
thoroughly  enjoyed  wandering  among  these 
giants  of  the  forest 

Charming  English  Country  Life 

After  lunching  in  a pretty  ivy-covered 
cottage  we  drove  to  the  station  and  took 
train  for  Maidenhead,  a pleasant  village  on 
the  banks  of  the  Thames. 

We  were  met  here  by  friends  who  gave  us 
most  delightful  glimpses  beyond  the  high 
stone  walls  and  hedges  of  an  English  town 
and  revealed  beautiful  homes  nestled  in 
quiet,  restful  gardens,  overflowing  with 
bloom  and  hospitality. 

Next  we  visited  Oxford,  on  the  upper 
Thames.  It  is  the  seat  of  one  of  the  most 
ancient  and  celebrated  universities  in 
Europe,  said  to  have  been  founded  in  972  by 
King  Alfred. 

There  are  twenty-one  college  buildings 
with  three  thousand  students.  We  visited 
a number  of  the  buildi  ngs,  chapels  and 
grounds,  stopping  a while  to  look  at  the 
cricket  match. 

Magdalen  College  is  most  attractive. 
Through  these  grounds  is  the  celebrated 
Addison  Walk,  over  which  we  wandered 
with  much  pleasure. 

In  one  of  the  chapels  we  saw  a magnificent 
painting,  representing  “Christ  Knocking,” 
and  in  Lincoln  College  we  stood  in  the  very 
room  where  John  Wesley  once  lived  and 
where  the  Holy  Club  held  its  meetings. 

We  took  train  for  Leamington,  passing 
through  Banbury,  where  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  Banbury  Cross — immortalized  in 
nursery  rhyme. 

Ye  Ancient  Town  of  Warwick 

After  a drive  through  Leamington,  we 
continued  to  the  town  of  Warwick  and 
stopped  at  an  ancient  hostelry  called  the 
“Woolpack” — a most  comfortable  old  place, 
which  we  made  our  headquarters  for  several 
days. 

Truly  this  was  the  quaintest  and  most 
ancient  town  we  had  seen.  It  is  situated  on 
the  river  Avon,  on  the  bank  of  which 
stands  Warwick  Castle,  one  of  the  most 
stately  feudal  residences  in  England. 

We  were  shown  its  halls,  filled  with  beau- 
tiful paintings  and  works  of  art.  Th  e 
grounds,  trees  and  flowers  were  also  fine. 

There  was  much  pleasure  in  wandering 
about  the  old  town,  for  such  picturesque 
buildings  we  had  seen  nowhere  else. 

In  our  rambles  we  came  to  a low  thatched 


cottag-e,  entirely  overgrown  with  ivy  and 
surrounded  by  an  old-fashioned  garden. 

We  could  not  refrain  from  speaking  to  the 
old  lady  resident,  who  said  she  had  lived 
there  seventy  years.  She  invited  us  into 
the  cottage  and  served  us  with  tea  in  the 
garden,  telling  us  bits  of  the  history  of  the 
town. 

Beside  us  flowed  the  river  Avon  and  in  its 
midst  stood  the  old  ruined  piers  of  a bridge 
built  by  William  the  Conqueror,  while  at 
our  backs  towered  great  Warwick  Castle. 

Shakespeare’s  Birthplace 

We  took  an  all  day  driving  trip  to  Strat- 
ford and  back.  The  house  in  which  Shake- 
speare was  born  is  now  owned  by  the  town 
and  well-cared-for.  Part  of  it  is  used  for  a 
Shakespearean  museum. 

It  was  a great  pleasure  to  see  the  old 
house  and  be  in  the  very  room  in  which  the 
poet  was  born.  In  the  garden  are  fostered 
the  trees  and  plants  mentioned  in  his  plays 
— buttercups  and  daisies,  pansies,  violets 
and  poppies  all  find  their  place. 

We  drove  to  Shottery,  where  Anne  Hath- 
away’s cottage  stands.  Its  low  thatched  roof 
and  garden  look  no  doubt  much  as  they  did 
when  the  bard  came  courting. 

The  interior,  with  its  ancient  furniture,  is 
most  interesting.  We  sat  upon  the  settle, 
by  the  fire,  and  the  spirit  of  sweet  Anne 
Hathaway  seemed  still  to  linger  near. 

Shakespeare  and  his  wife  are  buried  in 
Holy  Trinity  Church,  standing  on  the  river 
Avon,  surrounded  with  stately  trees. 

The  interior  of  the  church  was  quite  in- 
teresting, making  one  feel  a spirit  of  peace- 
fulness and  reverence. 

Nearby  has  been  erected  a memorial 
building,  containing  a museum  and  a theatre, 
where  Shakespearean  plays  are  performed. 

In  the  town  a memorial  fountain  support- 
ing a clock  has  been  erected  by  our  late 
townsman,  George  W.  Childs. 

The  day  spent  in  Stratford  will  ever  be 
remembered  with  pleasure. 

Our  next  drive  was  to  Kenilworth,  stop- 
ping on  the  way  at  Guy’s  Cliff,  the  country 
seat  of  lyOrd  Percy,  a pretty  and  historic 
spot. 

Before  viewing  the  ruins  of  Kenilworth 
Castle  we  visited  the  hotel  and  room  where 


Sir  Walter  Scott  made  his  first  draft  of  the 
story  of  Kenilworth. 

The  ruins  are  said  to  be  the  finest  and 
most  extensive  in  England,  and  we  greatly 
enjoyed  inspecting  every  detail.  Here  it 
was  that  Eord  Eeicester  so  magnificently 
entertained  Queen  Elizabeth. 

We  took  train  to  Birmingham,  the  fourth 
largCvSt  town  in  England,  the  home  of  Mr. 
Chamberlain,  who  was  at  one  time  its 
Maj'or.  We  remained  but  one  night  and 
continued  our  journey  to  the  town  of  Wells 
in  Somersetshire. 

An  Ever  Present  Spirit  of  Serenity 

Wells  is  a very  ancient  town  and  is  noted 
for  its  magnificent  Cathedral.  We  spent  a 
number  of  days  here  and  were  most  hos- 
pitably entertained,  and  seemed  in  a pe- 
culiar way  to  inhale  the  peaceful  atmosphere 
of  the  dear  Cathedral  town 

The  Cathedral  was  founded  in  the  Xlllth 
century  and  dedicated  to  St.  Andrew.  Tne 
Bishop’s  palace  followed  and  the  Vicar’s 
close. 

The  town  grew  not  from  an  industrial 
throb  ; its  whole  life,  its  very  existence  was 
and  still  is  intertwined  with  the  Cathedral. 

Whether  within  the  beautiful  church  or 
wandering  through  the  town,  the  spirit  of 
peace  seems  ever  present. 

The  quaint  old  gates — '‘Dean’s  Eye”  and 
“Penniless  Porch” — lead  to  that  central 
peace,  the  Vicar’s  close  lures  you  through 
ivy-clad  bowers  by  sweet  music,  and  even 
when  you  turn  completely  from  it,  the 
beautiful  path,  ere  you  are  aware,  leads 
back  to  those  w’ondrous  never-failing  wells 
of  St.  Andrew,  where  not  only  the  original 
building  gazes  down  upon  you  but  its 
counterpart  smiles  from  the  face  of  the 
stream.  From  Wells  we  returned  to  Eon- 
don. 

I cannot  close  this  letter  without  referring 
to  the  charming  scenery  in  all  our  drives. 
England  is  noted  for  her  extensive  grass  and 
pasture  lands,  her  beautiful  trees  and  hedges, 
and  it  was  a delight  to  behold  them  fresh 
and  green,  interspersed  with  fine  cattle, 
sheep  and  deer. 

There  is  throughout  the  country  an  air  of 
order  and  cleanliness — a luxuriance  of 
growth,  but  lack  of  weeds  that  is  a joy. 


/ 


LETTER  NUMBER  OGHTEEN 


Dublin,  July  23,  1904. 

Upon  parting-  with  our  friends  at  Wells, 
we  returned  to  Dondon,  especially  to  attend 
the  Henley  Regatta,  of  which  I spoke  in 
connection  with  the  London  letter. 

July  8,  the  day  after  the  races,  we  bade 
farewell  to  London  and  a five  hours  journey 
by  train,  through  fine  grazing  lands,  brought 
us  to  Birkenhead,  situated  on  the  river  Mer- 
sey, opposite  the  city  of  Liverpool. 

A Delightful  Sojourn  in  Oxton 

Friends  welcomed  us  to  their  home,  in  the 
pretty  suburban  town  of  Oxton,  which  occu- 
pies an  elevated  position  three  miles  from 
the  sea. 

Oxton  is  a characteristic  modern  English 
town.  The  houses  are  mostly  of  brick, 
commodious  and  artistic  and  surrounded  by 
gardens.  The  streets  are  macadamized  and 
curbed,  sidewalks  fine  and  wide,  and  all 
scrupulously  clean. 

The  English  desire  for  privacy  is  shown 
by  stone  walls,  which  are  capped  with  ever- 
green hedges  and  overhanging  trees,  so 
obscuring  the  residences  that,  glancing 
along  the  streets,  one  sees  little  but  the 
walls,  hedges  and  trees. 

We  remained  twelve  days  in  Oxton.  The 
weather  was  clear  and  pleasantly  cool  and 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  many  charm-* 
ing  people  and  being  most  hospitably  enter- 
tained. 

We  visited  Liverpool  a number  of  times. 
It  is  the  principal  seaport  and  second  largest 
city  in  England,  situated  three  miles  from 
the  open  sea,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river 
Mersey. 

The  river  is  about  one  mile  wide  and  has 
many  steamers  plying  back  and  forth  to 
Birkenhead  ; also  a tunnel  railway  connects 
the  two  cities.  Both  places  are  noted  for 
their  immense  docks  or  basins  for  the  load- 
ing and  unloading  of  large  ships. 

The  basins  are  kept  full  of  water,  so  the 
tides  do  not  affect  the  handling  of  freight. 
Great  ship-building  plants  are  on  both  sides 
of  the  river.  The  celebrated  confederate 
steamer  Alabama  was  built  at  Birkenhead. 

On  June  19  King  Edward  and  Queen  Alex- 
andra visited  Liverpool  for  the  purpose  of 
laying  the  corner-stone  of  a new  cathedral. 

The  city  was  handsomely  decorated  and 
the  people  turned  out  in  vast  numbers  and 
gave  them  a most  enthusiastic  welcome. 

We  were  greatly  impressed  throughout 
England  with  the  patriotism  of  the  people. 


A Great  Industrial  Plant 

One  afternoon  we  drove  to  Port  Sunlight, 
near  Birkenhead,  where  is  located  one  of  the 
plants  of  the  Sunlight  Soap  Works.  They 
have  factories  in  America  and  other  coun- 
tries, though  this  perhaps  is  the  largest. 

We  were  astounded  at  the  size  and  perfec- 
tion of  the  plant.  The  factories,  dwellings 
for  employees,  churches,  schools,  exercise 
and  amusement  buildings  and  play  grounds 
occupy  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  ground. 

The  streets  are  fine  and  the  homes  artistic 
and  comfortable  looking — each  with  its  own 
garden. 

We  were  shown  through  the  works.  They 
employ  three  hundred  clerks  and  book- 
keepers and  two  thousand  workers,  male 
and  female. 

The  plant  produces  two  thousand  tons  of 
soap  weekly  and  the  utmost  care  is  exer- 
cised in  the  selection  of  materials  and  in  the 
manufacture. 

Ye  Ancient  Town  of  Chester 

We  made  an  excursion  to  the  old  town  of 
Chester  and  spent  a most  interesting  day  in 
examining  its  many  points  of  interest.  It  is 
on  the  river  Dee,  about  ten  miles  from  Liver- 
pool, is  perhaps  the  most  quaint  and 
mediaeval-looking  town  in  England  and  still 
bears  distinct  traces  of  its  Roman  origin. 

Chester  is  surrounded  by  a wall,  two  miles 
in  length,  on  the  top  of  which  is  a stone 
walk  four  feet  wide.  While  this  has  been 
repaired  in  recent  years,  the  foundations  are 
claimed  to  be  Roman. 

We  walked  upon  the  wall  and  had  a fine 
view  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country. 
There  are  several  towers  on  the  walls,  one 
called  the  Phoenix,  from  which,  it  is  said. 
King  Charles  I witnessed  the  defeat  of  his 
troops,  in  the  battle  of  Rowton  Moor,  1645. 

The  most  unique  feature  of  Chester  is 
known  as  the  “Rows,”  on  the  four  main 
streets.  The  stores  on  the  sidewalk  are  only 
one-story  high  and  the  tops  of  these  form 
the  footways  for  the  stores  above,  the  roofs 
of  which  project,  forming  an  arcade.  These 
stores  are  reached  by  stone  steps  from  the 
sidewalks. 

The  most  of  the  houses  are  of  very  ancient 
structure  and  appear  quaint  and  unusual. 

There  is  an  interesting  old  cathedral,  also 
a stately  Norman  Church  surrounded  by  ivy 
covered  ruins. 

Eaton  Hall,  the  home  of  the  Duke  of 
Westminster,  is  near  Chester  ; also  Hawar- 


%\ 


den,  the  picturesque  home  of  the  late  Hon. 
W.  K.  Gladstone. 

The  Emerald  Isle 

July  20  at  10.30  P.  M.  we  left  Liverpool  for 
Belfast.  The  Irish  Sea  was  perfectly  calm 
and  at  nine  the  next  morning’  we  entered  the 
harbor.  The  well-wooded,  undulating  shores 
on  both  sides,  were  quite  inviting. 

Upon  landing  we  took  our  first  ride  in  an 
Irish  jaunting  car,  to  the  hotel,  and  then 
drove  about  the  city  and  into  the  suburbs,  to 
The  Giants’  Ring,  a high  embankment  en- 
closing a level  circular  space  about  one- 
eighth  of  a mile  in  diameter.  In  the  centre 
is  a pile  of  large  stones  which  are  supposed 
to  have  been  used  as  an  altar  by  the  Druids. 

The  city  of  Belfast,  with  its  population  of 
three  hundred  thousand,  is  noted  for  its 
linen  and  lace  industries,  also  for  large  ship- 
building plants — some  of  the  fine  White  Star 
liners  have  been  constructed  there. 

The  city  has  a number  of  fine  buildings — a 
City  Hall,  Free  Uibrary,  Art  Museum  and 
two  colleges — Queen’s  Episcopal  and  Meth- 
odist. 

The  following  day  we  went  twenty-six 
miles  by  train  to  the  old  town  of  Down- 
patrick. It  was  a most  interesting  spot, 
containing  many  typical,  one-story  thatched 
cottages. 

At  one  time  the  Irish  Kings  resided  there 


and  St.  Patrick  is  supposed  to  have  founded 
two  churches  during  the  Vth  century. 

In  the  cemetery  adjoining  the  old  abbey  is 
a tomb  said  to  contain  the  remains  of  St. 
Patrick,  St.  Bridget  and  St.  Columkill.  It 
is  covered  with  a large  rough  slab  of  granite. 

A Reminder  of  Methodism’s  Founder 

Adjoining  the  cemetery  is  a fine  piece  of 
woodland,  where  John  Wesley  preached  on 
four  different  visits  to  Downpatrick.  In  his 
diary  he  refers  to  it  as  the  most  beautiful 
grove  he  had  ever  seen. 

We  had  a fine  drive  through  the  town  and 
visited  an  old  ruined  abbey  and  in  the  sub- 
urbs a large  building  and  beautiful  grounds 
devoted  to  the  care  of  the  insane  of  the 
county. 

We  then  took  train,  fifteen  miles,  to  New- 
castle, a charming  summer  resort  on  the 
shore  of  the  Irish  Sea.  There  is  a fine  hotel 
there  and  an  excellent  golf  course,  but  we 
could  not  linger. 

The  following  day  we  staged  twenty-six 
miles  along  the  coast,  with  a range  of  moun- 
tains on  our  right,  adding  much  to  the 
picturesqueness  of  the  drive.  We  stopped 
at  the  town  of  Kilkeel  for  luncheon  and 
change  of  horses,  then  drove  on  through  a 
number  of  little  towns,  reaching  Warren- 
port,  a small  summer  resort  on  Carlington 
Bay,  at  4 P.  M.  At  6 o’clock  we  took  train 
for  Dublin. 


f 


> 


LETTER  NUMBER  NINEITEEN 


Roxborough,  Aiig-ust  6,  1904.  - 

Dublin,  the  capital  of  Ireland,  is  an  attrac- 
tive city  with  a population  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand.  The  river  Diffey,  a nar- 
row walled  stream,  passes  through  the  centre 
of  it,  but  being  a tide-water  stream  is  not 
attractive  at  certain  hours  of  the  day. 

There  are  many  fine  buildings — Trinity 
College,  the  Bank  of  Ireland,  the  National 
Museum  and  Library,  and  the  National  Art 
Gallery. 

The  latter  contains  a large  number  of  por- 
traits and  busts  of  Irish  celebrities,  including 
the  poets  Thomas  Moore  and  Oliver  Gold- 
smith, the  statesmen  Daniel  O’Connell  and 
Henry  Grattan,  also  Dean  Swift  and  that 
grand  old  soldier— the  Duke  of  Wellington. 
Moore,  Swift,  Grattan  and  Wellington 
were  all  born  in  Dublin  and  we  visited  their 
birthplaces. 

Ancient  Historic  Structures 

We  also  visited  St.  Patrick’s  Cathedral, 
founded  in  1190.  Its  chief  interest  centres 
in  its  connection  with  Swift,  the  celebrated 
satirist,  who  preached  there  thirty-two  years. 
His  remains  lie  in  the  church. 

The  Bank  of  Ireland,  once  the  Irish  Plouse 
of  Parliament,  is  of  Grecian  architecture  and 
quite  imposing. 

The  last  parliament  was  held  there  in  1801 
and  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Lords  stands 
untouched,  though  the  rest  of  the  building 
is  now  used  for  banking  purposes. 

There  is  much  to  be  seen  and  enjoyed  in 
Dublin.  The  street  scenes  are  interesting 
and  we  enjoyed  driving  through  the  city  and 
through  Phoenix  Park,  w'hich  is  extensive 
and  well-wooded. 

In  the  Park  the  driver  pointed  out  the  very 
spots  where  Lord  Frederick  Cavendish  and 
Mr.  Burk  were  murdered  by  the  Invincibles 
in  1882. 

July  26th  we  took  train  for  Killarney,  a 
five  hours  trip.  From  Killarney  station  we 
drove  two  miles  in  a jaunting  car  to  the 
hotel  situated  on  the  shores  of  Lough  Leane, 
the  largest  of  the  three  Killarney  lakes.  The 
weather  being  fine  we  left  our  luggage  and 
continued  our  drive  around  the  lakes. 

Passing  through  the  beautiful  grounds  of 
Lord  Herbert  we  stopped  at  the  fine  ruins  of 
Muckross  Abbey,  a most  enchanting  place. 

Thackery  said  of  it : “The  prettiest  little 
bijou  of  a ruined  abbey  ever  seen — a little 
chapel  with  a little  chancel,  a little  cloister, 
a little  dormitory,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
cloister  a huge  yew-tree  which  darkened  the 
whole  place.” 


Around  and  over  this  dear  bit  of  ruin  grow 
hart’s  tongue  fern  and  glos.sy  ivy,  while  in 
front  is  the  lake. 

We  continued  our  drive,  going  around 
Muckross  Lake  and  across  Brickeen  Island, 
over  the  old  Weir  bridge,  through  grand  old 
groves,  passing  Tore  Cascade  with  its  crystal 
waters  rushing  down  the  mountain  side,  and 
returned  as  the  sun  was  setting  to  our  hotel. 

An  Enchanting  Tour 

The  next  day  we  left  for  what  they  call 
the  long  tour.  We  went  by  coach  about  ten 
miles,  passing  first  through  the  little  town 
of  Killarney  and  then  through  the  country — 
where  the  roads  were  good  and  fine  trees  and 
pretty  hedges  lined  the  way. 

We  passed  the  splendid  properties  of  Lord 
Headley  and  Earl  Kenmare  and  at  eleven 
o’clock  reached  the  celebrated  cottage  of 
Kate  Kearney,  now  occupied  by  a great- 
granddaughter  of  that  noted  Irish  beauty. 

There  many  saddle  horses  were  in  waiting 
and  we  were  besieged  by  their  owners,  who 
wished  to  guide  us  through  the  Gap  of 
Dunloe. 

We  finally  succeeded  in  making  our  selec- 
tion and  started  off,  the  men  running  beside 
us. 

The  road  was  narrow,  skirting  a small 
stream  which  widened  at  times  into  lakes. 

The  great  feature  of  the  pass  is  the  height 
and  beauty  of  the  mountains. 

We  passed  under  the  shadows  of  the 
Tomies,  the  Purple  and  Bull  mountains, 
then  the  gorge  widened  and  we  came  to  the 
Black  Vallej’-,  where,  it  is  said,  the  sun’s 
rays  do  not  penetrate  for  three  months  in 
the  year. 

St.  Patrick  and  the  Last  Snake 

We  halted  at  St.  Patrick’s  Cottage,  a one- 
story'  thatched  house,  so  named  because 
St.  Patrick  is  said  to  have  remained  there 
three  days,  and  in  the  deep  lake  in  front  of 
the  cottage  it  is  claimed  he  sank  an  iron 
cage  containing  the  last  snake  of  the  island, 
commanding  that  it  should  not  be  liberated 
until  “the  day  after  to-moriow” — and  as  that 
da3^  has  not  yet  arrived,  the  snake  remains 
in  confinement. 

At  a number  of  places  in  the  gorge  we 
were  entertained  with  the  wonderful  echo 
effects  produced  by  the  blowing  of  a bugle 
and  firing  of  cannon. 

At  short  intervals  we  were  met  by  beggars 
and  venders,  usually  two  women  together, 
who  walked  beside  our  horses  and  used  the 
utmost  persuasion  and  blarney  to  obtain  a 
few  pennies. 


At  the  end  of  the  Gap  we  reached  a point 
two  thousand  feet  hig-h,  called  “The  Peep  o’ 
Day,’’  where  the  view  back  through  the 
valley  was  most  beautiful. 

The  descent  to  the  plains  through  the 
green  glades,  to  the  head  of  the  upper  lake, 
was  very  pretty. 

There  a boat  was  in  waiting  with  four 
sturdy  men  to  row  us  through  the  lakes. 
They  had  brought  us  luncheon,  which  was 
most  acceptable. 

Gliding  O’er  Beautiful  Lakes 

Soon  we  were  gliding  over  the  calm  waters 
of  the  upper  lake  and  through  the  Tong 
Range  into  Muckross  or  centre  lake,  then  to 
the  “meeting  of  the  v/aters”  and  to  the  old 
Weir  bridge,  where  we  shot  the  rapids  and 
on  to  our  own  beautiful  Tough  Teane — nine 
miles  long  and  five  wide — dotted  with  its 
many  beautiful  islands. 

The  entire  distance  our  crew  entertained 
us  with  their  inimitable  Irish  wit.  They 
were  well-informed  and  noted  all  the  points 
of  interest,  telling  us  the  many  legends  of 
the  section. 

Near  a high  cliff  called  the  “Eagle’s  Nest” 
was  a great  rock  in  the  water  resembling  the 
bottom  of  an  inverted  ship.  This  was  called 
the  “Man  of  war”  rock. 

We  halted  there  while  the  captain  of  our 
crew  held  converse  with  the  captain  of  the 
old  man  of  war  whom,  he  said,  lived  in  the 
mountains. 

He  called  in  a deep,  clear  voice  and  echo 
answered  echo  time  and  time  again. 

P'rom  Killarney  we  drove  twenty-one 
miles  to  the  town  of  Kenmare,  passing  en- 
route  vast  peat  bogs.  We  were  much  inter- 
ested in  examining  the  blocks  as  they  were 
piled  in  the  fields,  drying — to  be  used  as  the 
winter’s  fuel. 

The  next  day  we  drove  eighteen  miles  to 
Glengariffe,  charmingly  located  on  the  Bay 
of  Bantry.  We  crossed  the  bay  in  a small 
steamer  to  the  town  of  Bantry  and  there  took 
train  to  Cork,  arriving  at  9 P.  M, 

The  next  day,  our  last  in  Ireland,  was  a 
busy  one. 

The  Sells  of  Shandon 

We  visited  the  Church  of  Shandon,  to  hear 
the  famous  bells  that  have  been  immortalized 
by  the  verses  of  Father  Prout. 

The  sexton  of  the  old  church  showed  us 
the  tomb  of  Father  Prout  and  then  took  us 
into  the  bell  tower  and  played  several  tunes, 
including  “Tead,  Kindly  Tight.” 

Great  anticipations  sometimes  are  not 
realized,  but  the  sweetness  and  charm  of 
those  bells  far  exceeded  expectation — we 


were  enraptured  and  thought  of  P'ather 
Prout’s  lines  : 

“With  deep  affection  and  recollection 

I often  think  of  the  Shandon  bells, 

Whose  sound  so  wild  would,  in  days  of  childhood, 

Fling  round  my  cradle  their  magic  spells. 

On  this  I ponder,  where’er  I wander, 

And  thus  grow  fonder,  sweet  Cork,  of  thee  ; 

With  thy  bells  of  Shandon, 

That  sound  so  grand  on 
The  pleasant  waters  of  the  river  Lee.” 

The  finest  building  in  Cork  is  the  Epis- 
copal Cathedral  of  St.  Finn  Barr.  It  is  con- 
structed of  fine  white  stone  and  has  three 
beautiful  spires. 

Our  attention  was  called  to  the  sunken 
organ,  so  placed  that  it  might  not  obstruct 
the  view  of  the  beautiful  windows — and  un- 
expectedly it  greatly  improved  the  sound. 

In  Touch  With  the  Blarney  Stone 

We  went  to  Blarney  Castle,  nine  miles 
from  Cork,  and  wandered  about  the  charm- 
ing grounds  and  through  the  ruined  castle, 
clear  to  the  ramparts — and  touched  the 
noted  stone. 

The  Castle  is  substantially  built,  a wonder- 
ful stronghold  and  long  withstood  the  siege 
of  Cromwell. 

Before  yielding,  one  of  his  cannon  balls 
struck  and  displaced  the  Blarney  stone. 

At  5 P.  M.  we  took  train  for  Queenstown, 
eleven  miles  South.  After  locating  at  the 
hotel  we  visited  the  office  of  the  steamship 
company  to  learn  the  exact  time  of  departure 
for  the  following  morning — then  we  took  a 
jaunting  car  and  viewed  the  city  and  its  fine 
cathedral. 

The  town  is  built  on  the  sloping  side  of 
the  island,  overlooking  a fine  large  land- 
locked harbor. 

A number  of  English  torpedo  boat  de- 
stroyers lay  there  at  anchor. 

The  next  morning,  at  seven  o’clock,  we 
were  on  the  steam  launch.  At  7,15  the  late 
Tondon  mail  arrived  and  it  took  thirty  men 
over  half  an  hour  to  carry  the  bags  on  board. 

Then  we  steamed  over  to  the  Campania, 
boarded,  and  at  9 A.  M.  started  for  our 
native  land. 

We  had  a quiet,  uneventful  passage  and  in 
five  days  and  sixteen  hours  dropped  anchor 
in  New  York  harbor. 

The  next  morning  at  8 we  moved  up  to 
the  dock  on  North  River.  The  landing  of 
our  baggage  and  the  custom’s  inspection 
took  about  two  hours. 

By  noon  we  were  in  Philadelphia — well 
and  delighted  with  our  eight  months  of 
travel. 


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